Intolerance Toward Muslims Rises in Japan as Community Nearly Doubles

Intolerance Toward Muslims Rises in Japan as Community Nearly Doubles
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Discrimination and hostility toward Muslims in Japan are rising as the country’s Muslim population grows, according to observers and community members cited by Kyodo News.

Muslims in Japan, including foreign residents and Japanese converts, numbered about 420,000 by the end of 2024, nearly double the 230,000 recorded in 2019, according to Hirofumi Tanada, professor emeritus at Waseda University. Japan now has more than 160 mosques nationwide.

Community leaders say misinformation and hate speech are spreading on social media, while some mosques have received abusive phone calls and emails.

Recent incidents have included protests over mosque construction in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, and suspicious fires in February at a mosque and a used car dealership operated by Pakistani nationals in Ebetsu, Hokkaido.

Muslim communities are also calling for greater accommodation, including Islamic burial grounds and halal school meals.