Number of Muslims increasing in Japan

The number of Muslims living in Japan, though small, has nearly doubled in the past decade, from 110,000 in 2010 to 185,000 at the end of 2019 (including as many as 50,000 Japanese converts), according to Tanada Hirofumi of Waseda University.

Islam in Japan has over 3 centuries worth of history, with the earliest Muslim settlers believed to have worked in the cities of Yokohama and Kobe during the reign of the Meiji.

​The Japanese have become more interested in the Muslim world for expansionist, economic, and cultural reasons. The meaning of Holy Quran was translated into Japanese; Islamic societies were set up and Islamic as well as Orientalist books were written.

According to The Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), at the end of 2014, the halal food industry alone was worth $2 trillion dollars.

The increasing population growth of Muslims in future is likely to have a strong impact on the global community and economy, especially in Asia which is home to 70% of Muslims in the world.