A park where a Muslim prayer gathering was held is seen in Fukuoka’s Higashi Ward on Sept. 18, 2025. It is said that more than half of the park was filled with Muslims who visited there for prayers. The spire of a mosque can be seen beyond the overpass. (Mainichi/Hibiki Yamaguchi)
FUKUOKA — In September 2025, a group of people shouted at Muslims in front of a mosque in Fukuoka, telling them to “get out of Japan.” This happened after a video spread online showing many Muslims praying in a park near the mosque in June. The mosque had permission to use the park, but more people came than expected and used a bigger area.
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The local city office got complaints from people who saw the video online, but not from people living nearby. The local neighborhood group had talked to the Mosque in advance, and said they do not see a problem.
The number of Muslims in Japan is growing. In 2024, there were about 420,000 Muslims in Japan, about 0.3% of the total population. This is almost four times more than 20 years ago. Many Muslims come from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia and Turkey. There are now about 160 mosques in Japan.
Experts say that as more Muslims live in Japan, people need to learn more about each other. Waseda University professor Hirofumi Tanada said, “Foreigners are not just workers. They are residents with many different backgrounds, such as religion and culture.” He said the government should help people understand each other to stop problems in local communities.
(Japanese original by Masanori Hirakawa, Kyushu News Department)
Vocabulary:
mosque: a place where Muslims pray
resident: a person who lives in a place
labor force: people who work
permission: saying yes to let someone do something
AloJapan.com