Plans for Mosque in Japan Spark Debate, Residents Admit Unfamiliarity with Islam

At the moment, the site is just a patch of grass. But soon, it will become the location of the first mosque in this Japanese city. ‘It makes me worry about how our community might change,’ said Noriko Izumizawa, a long-time resident. The plan to build an Islamic place of worship in Fujisawa, a quiet seaside town about an hour’s journey south of Tokyo, has stirred a range of emotions. There has been anger and fear, as well as hope and acceptance, highlighting growing anxieties over immigration and social change as Japan grapples with labour shortages caused by a shrinking and ageing population. Although immigration remains politically sensitive and restrictive, Japan is increasingly dependent on foreign workers to fill job vacancies. This means an influx of immigrants with different cultures, languages, religions, and ways of life. Thus, the debate unfolding in cities like Fujisawa across the country strikes at the heart of how Japan sees itself.