Muslim Cemetery in Miyagi Prefecture Will Proceed Despite Resistance

Turkish mosque in Tokyo
The prefecture has received 400 objections to the proposed cemetery, which would be the 11th in the country.

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Some far-right voices in Japan are objecting to the creation of a new cemetery in Miyagi Prefecture that will cater to Japan’s growing Muslim population. However, the Prefecture’s governor says the project is necessary and will proceed as planned.

With Japan in the grips of population decline and a severe labor shortage, it’s relying on foreign labor more than ever. As a result, the number of people practicing Islam has shot up in the past decade. As of 2023, there are 350,00 Muslims in Japan – over three times the 110,000 Muslims in 2010. 54,000 of those are Japanese converts to the religion.

In 1980, Japan had a total of four mosques in the entire country. Due to increased immigration of workers from countries such as Iran and Pakistan as well as conversion, it has 149 mosques as of June 2024 – a 10-fold increase.

However, Japan – a country where 99.7% of citizens are cremated – still lags in cemeteries that can conduct an Islamic burial. When a practicing Muslim dies, their faith specifies direct burial in the ground (no casket) with their head pointing towards Mecca. There are currently 10 Muslim cemeteries in the entirety of Japan.

400 complaints over proposed cemetery

Islamic women
Picture:
dotshock
 / PIXTA(ピクスタ)

The 11th may soon be a new cemetery in Miyagi Prefecture. It would be the first in the Tohoku region.

However, even this vague whiff of a plan has resulted in 400 complaints to the prefectural office. Many claim that the site represents a “potential health hazard,” such as contamination of local water supplies.

According to a survey by Oita Prefecture of 13 Christian and Muslim cemeteries across Japan, no recorded incidents of environmental pollution are attributed to the facilities.

A lot of the opposition online seems driven more by pure racism. A thread on the Miyagi plan on social media site X is filled with comments such as, “Bury yourself in your own country” and “Go home if you can’t understand Japan’s rules!”

(That last comment is funny, considering the country’s history. Although cremation is overwhelmingly the norm now, Japan’s Meiji government banned the practice in 1873, labeling it disrespectful and unsanitary.)

Islamic cemetery “must happen”

Muslim associations in Japan have worked with residents in the past to reach an agreement on the location and conditions of Muslim cemeteries. However, after local and political opposition, one association abandoned plans in Ibaraki Prefecture. Another effort in Oita Prefecture’s Hijimachi is in danger after the town elected a mayor who opposes the facility.

At a press conference last month, Miyagi governor Murai Yoshihiro said the cemetery in his prefecture “must happen in spite of the criticism.”

“As the number of foreigners increases, so are people who get married and have kids. There are also Japanese people converting to Islam who want an Islamic burial.”

Responding to the “get buried in your own country” comments, Murai said, “There are people with family here, and people who came here alone and can only be buried here. It’s important we meet their needs.”

Murai is a pro-immigration governor who has said in the past that Japan needs more immigration in the short term to overcome its chronic labor shortage.

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