Muslims in Fujisawa Face Difficulties in Building Mosque, Japan Confronts Threat of Islamophobia

The city of Fujisawa, south of Tokyo, is currently facing an increasingly heated debate regarding plans to build a mosque. This case reflects the rising tensions in Japan between the need for foreign labour and the strengthening discourse of nationalism that rejects immigration. The debate has emerged amid Japan’s population decline crisis, which is pushing the government to open more opportunities for foreign workers, particularly from Asian countries. The number of Muslims in Japan is currently estimated to reach around 360,000 people. This figure has increased sharply compared to the 1980s era. The Muslim population in the country at that time numbered only a few thousand people. Meanwhile, the number of foreigners in Japan has exceeded 4 million souls by 2025. The idea of building a mosque in Fujisawa began in 2021, when the local Muslim community formed a group to purchase land of around one thousand square metres. They plan to build a mosque targeted for completion in 2027 to meet the needs of the growing Muslim community in the area. However, the project has emerged alongside the strengthening of conservative right-wing groups in Japan, particularly the Sanseito Party, which promotes the slogan “Japan for the Japanese”. The party, quoted from Al Jazeera on Sunday (10/5/2026), noted an increase in political support in the 2025 elections. In addition, the rise of the nationalist figure Sanae Takaichi is seen as reinforcing concerns about the increasing anti-foreign rhetoric in Japan.