A Japanese town wrestles with identity after protests over its first mosque

Today, it's a field of grass. But soon, it'll be the site of the first mosque in this Japanese town.

"It makes me worry about how our community might change," says long-time resident Noriko Izumizawa.

Plans to build an Islamic religious site in Fujisawa, a laid-back seaside town about an hour's drive south of Tokyo, have sparked a wide range of emotions.

There is anger and fear, as well as hope and acceptance, exposing the growing anxieties over immigration and social change as Japan grapples with a labour shortage from a shrinking and ageing population.

Although immigration remains politically sensitive and restrictive, Japan is increasingly relying on foreign workers to fill open jobs. That means an influx of immigrants with various cultures, languages, religions and ways of being.

So the debate that is playing out in towns like Fujisawa across the country is one that goes to the heart of how Japan sees itself.

Izumizawa is not alone in the way she feels. She is among a group of Fujisawa residents who are anxious about the increasingly visible Muslim community. She says that the polarising debates around immigration in the US and Europe have also contributed to her unease.

Earlier this year, anti-mosque protests flared up at the local train station, where thousands took to the streets to object to the proposed construction of the mosque. Some argue that a mosque much larger than the nearby Japanese Shinto shrine is disrespectful.

There have also been reports of hate speech and misinformation spreading on Japanese social media. Local outlets say mosques have been receiving abusive phone calls and emails, some of which has prompted anti-hate groups to organise counter protests calling for no hate.

Hiroki Suzuka, who manages a coffee shop opposite the road where the Fujisawa mosque is set to be built, calls for greater understanding and dialogue.

"I'm not particularly opposed, but I wouldn't say I'm strongly in favour either," Suzuka said.

"I think the first step is to learn about them, what Islam is, what kind of people they are, and what values and perspectives they hold. It begins with having an open mind and a desire to understand each other."

Businessman Mohamed Mohideen has lived in Osaka for the past 39 years. He moved from his home country Sri Lanka in 1987 for better work opportunities during the economic bubble.

He has dealt gemstones and later worked in trade, exporting used cars to countries like Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

He moved at a time, he says, when there were far fewer foreign residents.

But Mohideen feels that compared to back then, local people have become hostile and started making hurtful remarks at Muslims, both online and in person.

"On social media, there are countless comments like, 'Get out of Japan' and 'Go back to your own country,'" Mohideen said. "People have also started coming to the mosque and shouting abuse."

Mohideen goes to the Osaka mosque every day for prayers and other duties as a member of the local Islamic community. He says he has never felt that his life was in danger.

Despite having good relationships with neighbours for many years, Mohideen has noticed the shift in attitude towards Muslims more recently.

"Now, I feel that people are afraid of us."

The verbal abuse has worsened in recent years. He recalled members of his Muslim community being called terrorists, accused of making bombs, and being told to get out of Japan.

"When that happens, the only thing we can do is be patient. They're trying to provoke a fight or create a confrontation. They want to see how long we'll tolerate it," Mohideen explained.

"So we stay calm, speak gently, and treat them kindly, because Japanese people generally don't know much about Islam."

Still, he thinks there is some shared responsibility for the rift.

"We focused only on our work and, for a long time, didn't make enough effort to help people understand who we are. We also didn't do enough to become part of the society," he said.

"From now on, I want to work harder to increase dialogue and build better mutual understanding."

Shakeel Mohamed, 61, has been representing the Yashio mosque in Saitama prefecture for the past decade. He had worked as a construction site supervisor for 26 years after moving to Japan from Pakistan and speaks fluent Japanese.

Mohamed says the most important thing is to follow Japan's rules, including sorting refuse properly, obeying parking laws, and wearing helmets when riding your bicycle.

"We make every effort to respect the way things are done in Japan and to follow the rules," he said. "Courtesy is important too, even something as simple as greeting people."

He said Japanese locals in Yashio refer to the area's Pakistani community as "Yashio-stan".

"Of course, there are some Pakistanis who behave badly, but they're only a small minority. And the same is true of Japanese people."

Japan is wrestling with its identity in the face of huge demographic shifts.

Muslims in Japan, including foreign residents and Japanese believers, numbered roughly 420,000 at the end of 2024, up from 230,000 in 2019, according to Hirofumi Tanada, a professor emeritus at Waseda University who studies the faith in Japan.

The country's growing Muslim population also reflects a greater nationwide trend. The foreign resident population – which mainly comes from China, Vietnam, South Korea and the Philippines - surpassed four million in 2025. A record 2.57 million of them work in Japan, according to government data. In the same year, Japan's population declined by nearly 1 million.

Government officials have long avoided describing the country as an immigration country, but push visas that are seen as more temporary than permanent. Critics describe this as a "stealth" immigration system.

But even then, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has adopted a highly conservative stance against large-scale immigration. In June 2026, the Japanese government decided to raise visa fees for foreign nationals fivefold, after not having increased the amount for nearly 50 years.

Now, the government is planning to increase the number of employees at the Immigration Services Agency by about 230 people, aiming to strengthen enforcement against foreigners illegally overstaying. Officials may also introduce a limit to manage the number of foreign residents in the country.

As immigrant communities become more visible, the country is being forced to confront a question it has long tried to avoid: Can Japan become a more diverse country while preserving its sense of identity and cohesion that it values?

Back in Fujisawa, Izumizawa admits she has never had a negative experience with a Muslim neighbour herself.

"The truth is, maybe I just fear the unknown," she shrugs.

Additional reporting by Chie Kobayashi