Article 20 of the Japanese Constitution states that “freedom of religion is guaranteed to all” and that “no religious organization shall receive privileges from the state or engage in any political activity.” Japanese people therefore generally feel completely free to choose any religion.
There are two main religious currents in Japan:
The first is Buddhism, which arrived in Japan in the 6th century. Today, there are approximately 78 million Buddhists, representing 70% of the population.
The second is Shintoism, which emerged and developed as a popular religion with approximately 89 million followers, representing 80% of the population. These figures clearly indicate a tendency among Japanese people to embrace more than one religious belief simultaneously.
In the late previous century and during this century, many new religions emerged, such as Tenrikyo, Risshō Kōsei-kai, and Reiyūkai, among others. However, most of these religions are still influenced by the ideas of the two main religions, Buddhism and Shintoism.
In addition to these religions, there are two Abrahamic religions: Christianity and Islam. However, despite its early arrival in Japan (1549), Christianity has not gained widespread acceptance or interest among the Japanese people, with the number of Christians not exceeding 1% of the population. Muslims are even fewer in number, with approximately 3,000 registered with Islamic associations.
The Introduction and Spread of Islam in Japan
History records that Islam arrived in Japan later than other religions, such as Buddhism and Christianity. It did not spread there as widely or rapidly as in Southeast Asia. Islam began entering Japan nearly a century ago. Only a small number of Japanese people embraced Islam. History also shows that its arrival in Japan occurred through multiple channels, which can be summarized in three ways:
1- Through the interaction of Japanese armies with the Muslim community in northern China when Japan occupied the region before World War I. Some members of the Japanese army converted to Islam as a result of this interaction, but their number was very small.
2- Through the migration of Turkestanis to Japan, which occurred after the Russian Revolution, as they fled the pressure and persecution of the Bolshevik Russians in Turkestan and Manchuria. These migrants then played an important role in introducing the true nature of Islam in all its aspects.
3- Through books and research related to Islam, which emerged with the two important events in the introduction of Islam to the country: the interaction of Japanese armies with the Muslim Chinese community and the migration of Turkestanis. These two events led Japanese scholars and intellectuals to pay attention to the new religion and discuss it in their writings and research, both in terms of definition and criticism. These activities received material and moral encouragement from the imperial government at the time, as it wanted to use them as a pretext for its expansionist policy. It became in need of all information related to the Islamic religion, especially when it extended its influence over its colonies in East Asia.
Over time, Muslims were serious about spreading this religion, constantly moving forward, albeit slowly, until positive results emerged in the 1930s, including the construction of three mosques in Tokyo, Kobe, and Nagoya, and the translation of the meanings of the Holy Quran into Japanese (by a Japanese orientalist). This also included the establishment of the Islamic Exhibition in Tokyo and Osaka, the two main cities in Japan, and a large gathering of prominent Muslim scholars attended the opening of this exhibition. This exhibition gave these visiting Islamic figures a sense of optimism at first glance regarding these great achievements, especially when they saw the mosques in Tokyo and elsewhere. One of the scholars from Indonesia, Mr. A. Kasmat, said in the magazine "Islam in Motion," published in 1940, "During our visit and prayers in the large mosque in Japan, we looked left and right to see if there were any Japanese Muslims among the worshippers, and finally, it turned out that the number of Japanese Muslims was small." This is because the Islamic call in this country was not as extensive and intensive as in other Asian countries. Despite these shortcomings that the Islamic call in this country suffered and continues to suffer from, and despite the fact that the Japanese were largely ignorant about Islam and the Arabs, after Islam took root, it began to develop gradually. This development became clear after World War II, as the number of Muslims increased due to the interaction of Japanese armies with communities in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia and Indonesia. Seven years after the end of World War II, the oldest Islamic organization in Japan was formed through the efforts of Muslims.
Since the beginning of this century, many attempts have been made to introduce Islam into this country by foreign preachers, including the Egyptian preacher Ali Ahmed Al-Gergawi in 1907, Abdul Rashid Ibrahim, Mufti of Muslims in Russia, in 1909, and the Tablighi Jamaat in 1956. However, the number of Japanese Muslims in 1970 did not exceed four hundred people.
After 1970, things changed, and the number of Muslims increased significantly. This is due to several factors, including the increase in the number of Japanese travelers abroad, their interaction with different peoples of the world, and their discovery of different religions, including Islam, as well as their interest in the Arabs, their cause, and their religion after the oil crisis that occurred in 1973, and the increase in the number of books and publications related to the Islamic religion and Islamic countries.