In a recent article titled “Religious tensions in Japan as Muslim population grows,” published by Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News) on 31 May, the author, Cristian Martini Grimaldi, an independent journalist based in the country presents a distorted narrative that wrongly portrays growing tensions between the Muslim community and the wider Japanese society.
In his alarmist hit-piece, Grimaldi sensationalizes an isolated incident involving a Muslim immigrant from Gambia who, on 3 May, vandalized a Shinto shrine in Kobe city by smashing items at an offering box and also destroying three Jizo statues in the same ward.
Shinto, meaning “the way of the gods,” is an ancient indigenous faith that holds deep cultural and spiritual significance in Japan. Rooted in the belief in kami, or divine spirits, Shinto reveres the natural world, ancestral spirits, and various deities associated with mountains, rivers, and other natural elements. With a long history of syncretism with Buddhism, the Shinto faith forms an integral part of Japanese identity and cultural heritage.
Security camera footage of the untoward incident soon went viral online and angry Japanese netizens, understandably reacted, some with negative comments about Muslims, advocacy for stricter pre-existing anti-immigration policies and concerns about the impacts of ethnic and cultural diversity on Japanese society.
According to reports, the chief priest of the Mizuoka Hachiman Shrine said “I heard that a woman who was praying at the time was told, ‘Don’t pray here because there is no god here, because there is only Allah, the god of Islam.’”
The 29-year-old, “unemployed” individual, named as Mamadou Balde was arrested and it is highly likely that he will be deported, being a non-Japanese citizen.
However, the problem with the UCA News report is that it exaggerates and falsely claims that Balde’s actions represents broader tensions between Muslims and Japanese society which disregards the nuanced relationship between the two.
The author Grimaldi who has previously worked for L’Osservatore Romano, the daily newspaper of Vatican state, lets himself down by failing to uphold journalistic standards. This piece was not journalism, but an agenda-driven hit-piece intent on fanning the flames against the Muslim community.
Had it been journalism, the author would have noted the fact that the Japanese Muslim Association tweeted a statement on 24 May condemning the immigrant’s criminal behavior:
“Recently, there was an incident in which a person believed to be a Muslim of foreign nationality was arrested on suspicion of damaging property at a religious facility in Japan. The Japan Muslim Association believes that such an act is wrong even from a religious point of view, and that if the crime is established through strict legal procedures, it should be punished legally.”
“As the Quran says, ‘O you who believe, keep your promises’ (5:1), Islam emphasizes covenants and promises. In both Japan and other countries, there is a principle that you have the right to visit and live under a contract that you must abide by the laws and regulations of the country in which you are staying and living.”
“Not only is it a legal crime of vandalism, but it is also an ethical crime to intentionally damage the property of a religious facility, which is the foundation of people’s hearts.”
The post which had been liked over 20,000 times and has been met with many encouraging replies. One Japanese user tweeted:
“I lived in a Muslim country for four years. Everyone was really kind, interested in Shinto, and respected me. To be honest, until I talked to them, I had an image of Islam being male-dominant, but I learned that this is not the case at all and that the true Islam is full of compassion.”
Another quote-tweeted the association’s post with:
“I was relieved to be honest. Without this statement, there is no doubt that Japanese sentiment toward Islam would have worsened. Thank you for your continued support of Muslims.”
Even local Japanese news websites picked up on the statement in their coverage, which raises questions about why Mr Grimaldi omitted this crucial piece of information that could help alleviate any perceived “tensions.” It is not surprising that the story, as presented by the author, was subsequently republished by several Indian news outlets, given the widespread anti-Muslim sentiments in the country and the Islamophobic stance of the Hindu nationalist government.
Thankfully, others could see the piece for what it is, anti-Muslim propaganda. In an exchange under Grimaldi’s tweet of the article, one social media user called him out and scrutinized the piece, for exploiting the one incident and using it to try and “paint Islam in a bad light.”
Nevertheless, a closer examination of Japan’s cultural landscape reveals a different reality—one characterized by peaceful coexistence and mutual respect. Japan has a long history of welcoming diverse religious and cultural practices, including Islam, and the majority of Japanese society embraces the principles of tolerance and harmony without abandoning their national identity.
Interestingly, Islam is the fastest growing religion in Japan, according to a 2021 report by The Economist, “The number of Muslims living in Japan, though small, has more than doubled in the past decade, from 110,000 in 2010 to 230,000 at the end of 2019 (including as many as 50,000 Japanese converts).”
I myself was fortunate to visit Japan in November 2019 and visited the Tokyo Camii & Turkish Culture Center, a beautiful landmark modeled on traditional Ottoman-style. It was also promising to see a large number of local Japanese visitors on a guided tour when I was there.
While it is true that Japan has a predominantly Shinto and Buddhist heritage, Muslims in the country have been able to establish mosques, Islamic centers, and maintain their religious traditions without significant obstacles. Instances of interfaith dialogue and cooperation further illustrate the inclusive nature of Japanese society.
In fact, just last year, the second session of interfaith dialogue between Iran and Japan was held in Tokyo under the theme of “Environment in Islam and Shinto.” The event was held by the Iranian Cultural Center in Japan in cooperation with the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO).
Contrary to the claims made in the original piece, Islam isn’t incompatible with Japanese society as: “with a declining birth rate, aging Japanese population and a growing migrant workforce, the slow but steady rise of Muslims in the country could help address some of the issues associated with those trends.”
It is also crucial to highlight Japan’s growing interest in religion in general, especially in the context of its hyper-individualistic and capitalist society. As people grapple with the pressures of modern life, there is a resurgence in spirituality and an exploration of diverse belief systems. Here Islam undoubtedly has an invaluable role to play.
This interest is not new, for example in the interwar period “there were over 100,000 Qur’ans sold in translation in Japan in the 1930s, indicating that there was a growing interest among regular Japanese people about Islam that went beyond simply achieving foreign policy objectives.” Noted as the second Japanese Muslim to perform hajj, Nur Muhammad Ippei Tanaka “found similarities between Shintoism and Islam, and the possibility of syncretizing Shintoism and Islam occurred to him.”
Furthermore, during World War Two, imperial Japan had greater contact with diverse Muslim populations living under their occupation. In their bid to portray themselves as liberators from Western imperialism, these interactions impacted global anti-colonial movements among Muslims in the post-war era.
We also learn that “Japanese militarists employed agents working in the [Indonesian] archipelago to spread propaganda about the similarities between Shinto and Islam and highlighted Japan’s role as saviour from Western imperialism in Asia.”
And that “In the occupied Dutch East Indies, the Japanese provided a new political platform for emerging Muslim nationalists and the ulema, leading to the increased politicization of Islam in the region.” During the Japanese colonial period, Masyumi, an association of various Islamic organizations was established, with its paramilitary faction Hizballah formed under the Japanese occupation government. Until it was banned in 1960, Masyumi would go onto form the largest political party in the country post-independence, becoming a foothold from which Muslims could speak out in politics.”
The Black Dragon Society, a Japanese ideological group which played a role in shifting Japan away from the pro-Western, liberal policies of the early 1900s to the more illiberal, anti-western policies of the pre-war period, also had an affinity for Islam. Both during the war and after the war, some of their members wound up in the United States where they befriended the Afro-American group known as the Nation of Islam and their leader Elijah Muhammad.
In recent years, the Japanese government has been keen to boost the number of tourists from the mostly-Muslim West Asia region. This will be facilitated by the fact that there is a growing number of halal restaurants across cities in Japan and even halal-certified brands.
This isn’t to say there aren’t challenges faced by the Muslim community in Japan, on 11 May it was reported that local authorities have agreed on the conditions for the establishment of the south western Kyushu region’s first Muslim cemetery, despite facing opposition for the past four years.
So, no, there are no “religious tensions” in Japan, nor is Islam incompatible with the society, Signor Grimaldi, just refer to some of the latest reports from one of Japans oldest and largest newspapers, “widely regarded for its journalism as the most respected daily newspaper in Japan,” The Asahi Shimbun which as recently as 5 June covered the story of a young female teacher, Saki Takao and her decision to embrace Islam.
The report noted that she even donned a traditional pink kimono for her shahadah – or declaration of faith ceremony: “I may not have wanted to forget my identity as a Japanese,” she explained.
Takao previously spoke of Islam in her class and learned that her students associated the religion with “terrorism.” “The negative impression of a limited number of people appeared to overshadow everything else,” she said.
Another story by the same outlet published a mere six days before Grimaldi’s, on Japanese society as it “embraces change” amid the growing Muslim presence, is also at odds with the tabloid reporting.
Hirofumi Okai, an associate professor of sociology at Kyoto Sangyo University who studies Islamic culture was quoted as saying “We Japanese were previously unfamiliar with Muslims.”
“Now that they are our neighbors, we need to think about how to live with them in this diversifying society.”
This shows, attitudes can, with time and more information, change. The author may wish to refer to Japan’s history and their initial treatment of the Catholic Jesuits and the banning of Christianity by the Tokugawa shogunate.
Islam is not a religion for foreigners of a specific group of ethnicities, nor limited to a specific region. It is a religion that is for all of mankind and those Muslims from outside West Asia/North Africa, as well as those who convert to Islam, do not need to “Arabize” themselves in order to be a good Muslim, such as the example of Takao wearing her kimono to her shahada. Muslims of different regions wear their traditional cultural clothes, or sometimes modern clothes, so long as they adhere to the Islamic principles of modesty, chastity, and avoiding the showing off of wealth through luxury dress.
Therefore, Islam may be the opposite of a threat, in that it has the cure for many of Japan’s socio-political woes. That doesn’t mean the Japanese society has to accept Islam as their religion – although Japanese people are welcome to explore the religion and if they ascertain that it is the truth, they can accept Islam on their own volition – as they can still learn from the wisdom of Islam in order to fix many of the problems facing their society.
The declining birthrate in Japan is due to the hyper-individualistic culture that swept Japan in the post-war era following a large campaign of soft cultural war by the US and other western powers. This has led to a culture of hedonism and consumerism, causing many to not see the value in getting married and starting a family. With the prevalence of pornography in society, men do not have to undertake the responsibility and maturity needed to have a relationship with a living human being, as they can turn to videos, cartoons, and the many legal brothels that exist in Japan.
Islam discourages selfishness and hedonism, and views family as an abode of peace and a lofty institution which builds civilizations, whereby two individuals enter into a stable, committed relationship and direct their selflessness and altruism towards their spouse. Children are not just a material possession, but the keys to a future society built upon righteousness, virtue, kindness, and avoiding corrupt deeds.
Much of the world is waking up to the fact that a hyper-individualistic lifestyle leaves the heart empty and unfulfilled. Japan currently knows the ugly truth of this reality due to the country having a high rate of suicide attempts. Additionally alarming is the social phenomenon of Hikikomori (meaning confined), whereby individuals intentionally socially isolate themselves in what can be equated to a modern-day hermit.
These all represent a very deep spiritual problem within the Japanese society, likely due to the fact that even the Shinto religion has been replaced with the nihilism of the fast-paced, consumer lifestyle that Japan emulated from the liberal west.
The socio-political implications of such social problems in Japan stem from the fact that Japan’s sovereignty has been fully yielded to US and western dominance over Japan’s political, social, and cultural affairs. The current Japanese constitution was written by the US occupation forces following the end of World War 2 and many of the Americans who contributed to its final draft were known to have very strong liberal ideological leanings.
Iranian intellectual Rahimpour Azghadi once visited Japan and met with a group of Japanese academics. After one of the Japanese academics stated that it was necessary for the US to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Azghadi stated that what has happened to the Japanese mind following the war is worse than the atomic bombings.
Japan can thus also solve some of its political woes relating to lack of sovereignty by gaining wisdom from the Islamic world, especially nations like Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen, who have successfully declared their independence from western shackles and remained steadfast in the face of decades of threats, wars, sanctions, and culture wars.
For those concerned about the displacement of the Japanese working class with imported labor, can that really be blamed on Islam and Muslims? Or is such a phenomenon a result of a myriad of overlapping circumstances? Firstly, NATO and the Zionist regime created multiple theater wars which caused many people to flee their countries for safety. If not that, the IMF created deep poverty in many Muslim-majority countries, causing many people to leave for better economic opportunities. Large Japanese corporations then capitalize on this influx of migrants to cut down on labor costs and increase profits.
Perhaps certain media personalities who try to scapegoat Islam and Muslims in the eyes of the Japanese working class should re-direct their energy towards the western powers which bomb and impoverish a large part of the world, and the Japanese corporate behemoths who capitalize on such tragedies at the expense of the domestic working class.
A question should then be posited to Mr. Grimaldi: which is a bigger threat to Japan’s unique and rich culture, religion and identity – Islam or western liberalism? Which has done more damage to Japan?
The act of vandalism done by one ill-minded individual is condemned by the Muslim community in Japan. We are still waiting for America to apologize for its indiscriminate bombing of Japan, including the crimes against humanity committed by the atomic bombings, as well as the post-war destruction of Japanese culture through the importation of liberal values which contributes greatly to Japan’s population decline, high suicide rates, and political impotency.
If Mr. Grimaldi truly cares about the preservation of Japanese culture, it would be fair to be even-handed in his condemnation and go after the big fish who have done far greater damage to Japan than one lone vandal, whose actions are against the noble ethical traits of the Islamic religion, could ever accomplish.
