Islam

Islam came to Japan in 1877 along with a great influx Western culture and religious thought and a Japanese translation of the life of prophet Muhammad. Together, these gave Islam a solid foothold in the Japanese consciousness on an academic rather than spiritual level.

In 1909, the first Japanese converted to Islam. They were Mitsutaro Takaoka, who took the name Omar Yamaoka and Bumpachiro Ariga, who took the name Ahmad Ariga. It wasn’t until the Bolshevik Revolution during World War I, which brought hundreds of central Asian and Russian refugees to Japan that a real Muslim community was born. Through them, many Japanese converted to Islam.

It is believed that the Kobe Mosque built in 1935 is the only remaining mosque in Japan, but Islam is growing slowly as more Japanese learn about and accept the religion. Japanese Muslims remain a small group in the Japanese population, numbering in the thousands, limiting their political influence.