JAKARTA - In the midst of rapid technological progress in Japan, there is an urgent need for the Muslim community there to have a permanent place of worship. As a tangible expression of concern, Dompet Dhuafa collaborated with the Chiba Islamic Culture Center to bring the Al-Muttaqin Mosque as an Islamic Center in the Matsudo area, Chiba, Japan.
For the Muslim community, which is a minority there, the mosque is the main foundation for the continuation of the dakwah. In the midst of a visit to Indonesia, on Wednesday (01/07/2026), Sensei Kyoichiro Sugimoto, a Dai from the Chiba Islamic Culture Center, emphasized this urgency given Japan's demographic conditions.
"In Japan, 99.9 percent of the population is non-Muslim. Having a mosque or Islamic Center will certainly have a very significant impact. Not only for prayer, but for preaching, supporting Muslim youth and converts, because they are the future leaders who must maintain and develop the Muslim community in Japan for a long time," explained Sensei Sugimoto. He even likened this project to the early history of the formation of the Muslim community in the time of the Prophet.
"I find this like our first pilot project. The city center is a mosque, then creating Madinah City. That is the concept of the Prophet Muhammad Saw. To create a community, a community, then the mosque or Islamic Center is the foundation," he added.
Despite facing challenges, including the emergence of negative sentiments on social media, Sensei Sugimoto remains optimistic.
"Even though there are those who create unfounded rumors, Islamophobia, and anti-Muslim movements. Still, this is a path of dawah, there must be challenges. Insyaallah, if we are strong and work together, we can overcome it," he said.
It is important to note that the Muslim community in Japan is now continuing to grow. Currently, there are around 420 thousand Muslims living in Japan. The interesting phenomenon is that more than half (about 50%) of the total population are Indonesian citizens (WNI) who work or live there.
Apart from physical development, this discussion also highlights the importance of educational sustainability for the younger generation of Muslims. Purwati Kasmaja, wife of Sugimoto emphasized the need for an educational place so that the Muslim community does not have to always rely on sending children abroad.
"We really need an educational place. If there is none, we are forced to send these children to Muslim countries. Why don't we present competence to Japan? Our hope is that in the future, there will be ustaz-ustaz who are sent there to pioneer a permanent education model," said Purwati Kasmaja.
Dompet Dhuafa welcomes this vision as a synergistic effort in responding to global missionary challenges. Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dompet Dhuafa, Ahmad Juwaini, emphasized that this initiative is a manifestation of the trust of the Indonesian people in supporting the glory of Islam.
"This activity is certainly a very challenging activity, it requires collaboration, it requires the synergy of many parties, including individuals who are concerned to support the provision of Islamic educational facilities, religious activities, worship facilities, including campaigning for Islamic cultures to the people in Japan," said Ahmad Juwaini.
"Hopefully, Sensei Sugimoto's arrival at Dompet Dhuafa, both now and later, is in the name of doing good deeds. Actually, we can do many other forms of cooperation other than building mosques. At least in the context of preaching, we can make some cooperation in the future," he explained.
The construction of the Al Muttaqin Chiba mosque is now a priority agenda considering the increasing Muslim population there. Ahmad Juwaini emphasized the importance of broad collaboration in this effort, "We invite all parties, both the community and companies, to help realize the means of worship, glory, and Islamic education for the environment in Japan by participating in the joint funding of the purchase of the building".
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
