Hundreds Protest in Japan Against Construction of First Mosque in Fujisawa

Residents clash with riot police, citing cultural and religious concerns over the mosque and its proposed cemetery.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

Hundreds of residents in Fujisawa, Japan, took to the streets in April 2026 to protest the construction of the city’s first mosque, with demonstrations captured in widely circulated social media footage. Protesters clashed with riot police, chanting, “We don’t want a single mosque or Muslim cemetery here!”

The protests erupted after the city government approved the mosque’s construction, which includes plans for an onsite burial cemetery—a cultural flashpoint in Japan, where 99.9% of the deceased are cremated, and local graveyards do not typically feature burial plots. The demonstrations reflect growing anti-Muslim sentiment among locals, fueled in part by social media.

Japan currently has 167 mosques across the country, but the issue of Muslim cemeteries has become particularly contentious. The protests also come as Japan’s Muslim population has nearly doubled in recent years, with some Islamic foreigners unwilling to abandon their religious practices and fully assimilate into Japanese culture.

“I think Islam coming into Japan is a bad thing,” one local resident told an interviewer, echoing the concerns of many protesters. Others voiced similar apprehensions about the cultural and religious impact of the mosque.

The unrest in Fujisawa highlights broader tensions in Japan, a nation long regarded as an insulated ethno-state, as it grapples with changing demographics and the integration of new religious and cultural practices. The protests raise questions about whether Japan can maintain its traditional identity amid growing diversity or whether it will see further cultural shifts.