Japan
Located in East Asia, Japan is an archipelago, located between the Sea of Japan and the North Pacific Ocean. There are 98% Japanese, 0.5% Chinese, 0.5% Korean, and 1% other ethnic groups in the country.
Although it is estimated that the first contact of Islam with Japan has existed since the 14th century through Arab and Chinese Muslim traders who came to the region, this relationship has remained at a very limited level. In the second half of the 19th century, the interest in Islam increased through the translation of a Sirah work into Japanese, then the relations with the Ottoman Empire and the Muslim Tatars who migrated to the region after the First World War. In particular, two people named Torajino Yamada and Shotara Noda, who came to Istanbul with the survivors after the sinking of the Ertuğrul frigate and became Muslims, made a significant contribution both to the strengthening of Turkish-Japanese relations and to the increase of Japanese society's interest in Islam.
Muslims in the country started the first organizational work in 1928, religious works were published in the printing house established in 1930, and in 1935, the first mosque in Kobe was opened for worship. On the other hand, during the Second World War and then in the first half of the 1970s, when oil started to play a decisive role in the world economy, the Japanese state took positive steps toward Islam as a strategic move. Although this state-supported pragmatic relationship has increased the interest in Islam in the country, this process has not turned into a healthy and lasting relationship.
In the second half of the 20th century, the number of Muslims in the country increased with the Turks, Arabs, Iranians, Afghans, and Pakistanis who went to Japan to work. The exact number of Muslims living in Japan today is not known, but it is estimated to be around 150,000 to 200,000. The most populous Muslim elements in the country are Indonesians, Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, and Iranians. The number of Muslim Japanese is around 15,000. There are approximately 50 mosques open to worship and 14 non-governmental organizations operating for Muslims in the country. However, there is no private educational institution providing Islamic education in the country.
The area where the Muslims of the country have the most trouble is working life. The fact that employers do not allow employees to pray on the grounds that it causes loss of time and productivity puts Muslims in a very difficult situation in business life. Employers argue that this approach is not caused by anti-Islamism, but is a necessity of working life. There are no legal regulations in the country where employees can claim rights in this regard. Another problem is that the Japanese who converted to Islam face negative suggestions from their families and close circles.