Cultural Encounter with Islam and its Reception in Japan ‘Its historical change and the role played by foreign Muslims’

Authors : Akiko Komura

Pages : 355-385

Doi:10.37697/eskiyeni.1790794

View : 128 | Download : 607

Publication Date : 2025-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This article examines, from the perspective of cross-cultural understanding, how Japanese people have come to accept Islam through their encounters and relationships with foreign Muslims. In particular, the article focuses on the role played by foreign Muslims and their influence on Japanese people and illustrates how Japanese people came to understand and accept Islam, a religion unfamiliar to Japanese society. The first encounter on a civilian level was made during the Meiji era, when the Ottoman warship Ertugrul sank off the coast of Wakayama prefecture in 1890. Sixty-nine crew members were rescued by residents near the site of the accident. The survivors were sent back to Turkey aboard two Japanese warships. Before WW II, Japan’s colonial policies in northern and northwestern China contributed to the development of Islamic studies as an important part of Japan’s national policy. In addition, some Turkic Muslims in Central Asia came into contact with Japanese military men or Japanese government officials and were invited to Japan. Before WW II, thanks to Japan’s Islam policy, the so-called Kaikyō Seisaku, Islam was introduced and spread in Japan. After the war, however, Muslims in Japan had to establish Islamic institutions (build masjids, Muslim cemeteries and so on) and maintain their communities on their own. However, this situation was to change with the arrival of foreign Muslim workers. In the late 1980s, the Japanese economy boomed. Many companies in Japan suffered from labor shortages. Foreign Muslim workers came to Japan and were welcomed to work mainly as blue-collar workers. As a result, the number of Muslim workers increased and some married Japanese women who then converted to Islam. In the present day, there are new foreign Muslim workers who have been invited to Japan as trainees. In addition, a large number of Muslim tourists have been visiting Japan in recent years. As a gesture of hospitality (Omotenashi) tailored to them, some restaurants have begun to provide halāl meals. Also, the number of Muslim students has been increasing year by year. Some universities have opened a halāl café or restaurant, and a simple prayer room. Such Islamic environments within universities also provide Japanese students with opportunities to experience different cultures and diversity. As outlined above, an overview of the history of Islam in Japan reveals that the presence of foreign Muslims from overseas has not only provided opportunities for the development of Japan’s Islamic environment but has also influenced the Japanese understanding and acceptance of Islam. Furthermore, direct encounter between Japanese people and Muslims has been shown to facilitate a more profound understanding of Islam.
Keywords : Dinler Tarihi, Çokkültürlülük, Kültürlerarası Anlayış, Japonya’da İslam, Japon Müslümanlar

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