Tokyo, June 03: A newly constructed mosque in Japan has been in the news all over the world, and this mosque, which was built without government permission, is now facing bulldozer fears.
Yes.. A huge mosque has been built on an area of 4,500 square meters in Kawagoe city in Saitama prefecture, Japan. Surprisingly, neither the local administration nor the Japanese government has any information about the construction of this mosque.
Even more surprisingly, the local Japanese government came to know about the construction of this mosque only after the Pakistani embassy in Japan himself arrived for the inauguration of this mosque.
Now this has led to controversy, and in the wake of the controversy, the Pakistani embassy has distanced itself from the mosque construction project. Japanese officials have said that this building was built without obtaining the necessary permissions as per local laws.
The land is classified as “Mountain Forest Land.” Since it is located in an Urbanization Control Area, any construction is generally prohibited without special permission from the local government.
What did the mosque construction company say?
According to a report by The Asahi Shimbun, ownership of the land was transferred in March 2025 from a Fujimi-based real estate company to another company registered at a Kawagoe address. However, according to Kawagoe city government officials, the mosque was built without the necessary permits.
“The mosque building was built in an urban development control area, where construction is not permitted unless the necessary permits are obtained under the City Planning Act. The relevant building was built without the permission of the city government,” the city government said in an official statement.
Pak ambassador’s arrival sparks controversy:
The controversy was further fueled by the fact that Pakistan’s ambassador to Japan, Abdul Hamid, attended the mosque’s inauguration earlier this year. According to The Asahi Shimbun, Yashio Masjid has enjoyed a good relationship with the local government and residents for many years. The mosque, which opened in a converted factory in 2000, was officially registered as a religious institution in 2007.
During this time, it has built a good relationship with the community by sharing information with neighborhood organizations, informing locals before major events such as Eid, and participating in cleanliness drives. However, Shakeel Sheikh Mohammed, a 62-year-old Pakistani-born representative of Yashio Masjid, has criticized the Kawagoe mosque project.
“It is not a good idea to build a mosque without permission. A good environment for a mosque can only be created when good relations are developed with the local people,” he said.
“The embassy requests that the Pakistani community living in Japan fully comply with Japanese laws in all matters, especially in the construction of places of worship. No construction project should be started without obtaining the necessary permissions from the local administration,” the statement said.
In another statement issued on May 31, the office also clarified that the ambassador attended the event only because the organizers assured them that all necessary permissions had been obtained before accepting the invitation to the mosque inauguration ceremony.
“The Embassy of Pakistan has no connection with any project that does not comply with local administrative laws. The same applies to the event held in Kawagoe on April 3, 2026. The Pakistani Ambassador accepted the invitation based on the information that all necessary permissions were obtained in accordance with Japanese laws,” the statement said.