Growing Demand for Muslim Burial Plots in Japan Sparks Controversy

In Japan, an increasing Muslim population has led to a heightened demand for burial plots that adhere to Islamic beliefs, particularly in a culture where cremation is predominant. Some local authorities are exploring the possibility of creating new cemeteries to serve foreign workers; however, the initiative has faced resistance from certain Japanese community leaders who cite sanitary concerns.

Muslim residents seeking to settle in Japan express unease over the scarcity of suitable burial options, which complicates their long-term plans. Recently, Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai voiced his intent to develop a new cemetery in the prefecture after a local Muslim family conveyed their challenges due to limited grave availability. The Tohoku area, home to this prefecture, lacks burial sites, which Murai notes is at odds with Japan's purported multiculturalism. Murai argues for the need for action despite the potential for criticism.

Meanwhile, a proposed large burial site initiative by the Beppu Muslim Association in Hiji, Oita Prefecture, has been halted due to opposition from the town's newly elected mayor, Tetsuya Abe. The project originally garnered community support, with the local government agreeing to sell land under specific conditions to ensure it adhered to burial site regulations. However, after Abe's election in August 2024, he indicated that the cemetery project would not proceed, largely due to health concerns voiced by local residents about potential contamination of drinking water.

Hirofumi Tanada, a professor emeritus at Waseda University, estimates that Japan's Muslim population is around 350,000 individuals as of early 2024, and the number of mosques has risen to approximately 150, up from only a few four decades earlier. Nonetheless, there are very few designated burial sites for Muslims, with estimates suggesting only about ten major religious-affiliated burial locations exist nationwide. While Japanese law does not explicitly prohibit ground burials, a significant majority of cemeteries, over 99.9 percent, still only conduct cremations, highlighting a reluctance to accommodate diverse burial practices.

Despite these challenges, the Japanese government has signaled its commitment to welcoming foreign labor and fostering an inclusive society. Mayor Abe emphasizes that the responsibility for establishing burial plots should not fall solely on local administrations and advocates for intervention from the central government to create standardized guidelines for this issue. The Beppu Muslim Association previously made a request to the national government in 2021 for a public cemetery that respects various burial customs, but they report no progress has been made.

Khan, a local university professor who has been in Japan since 2001 and holds Japanese citizenship, stresses the importance of securing burial options for future generations, stating, "We cannot give up on graves for the sake of the next generation.