A mosque that officials say was illegally constructed in the northwest of Tokyo and approved for demolition has sparked scrutiny after it became operational following its inauguration by Pakistan's ambassador to Japan.
The “Ramadan Grand Mosque” was built on a 4,500sqm-plot in a rural area of Kawagoe in Saitama Prefecture classified as mountain forest in an urbanisation control zone.
Pictures of the mosque show a large white dome-shaped structure standing amidst a vast green field in a rural area.
Kawagoe mayor Hatsue Morita said this week that the city "cannot tolerate the current situation" and is working to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.
“It is an illegal building constructed without permission in an urban development control area, and we are working under the policy that we cannot tolerate the current situation,” she said, according to Sankei News.
"We want this building to be demolished as soon as possible and we are considering how to guide them,” she said.
The case has become one of the most contentious planning disputes involving a mosque in Japan in recent years, drawing attention to the country's growing Muslim population and the challenges of balancing religious facilities with local planning regulations.
City officials said they first became aware of the project in October 2024 after residents reported that a steel-frame building was under construction. By the time inspectors visited, the exterior was nearly complete.
.png)
Authorities attempted to determine who was responsible for the development but say they encountered repeated obstacles.
The landowner, a real estate agent in neighbouring Fujimi, reportedly told officials that the property had already been sold and declined to identify the buyer, citing privacy concerns. Officials also questioned workers, who were foreigners, at the site but said they were unable to establish who had commissioned or carried out the construction due to language barrier.
In December that year, a “stop construction” order was issued for the building. The ownership of the land changed hands in March 2025, when it was transferred to a company registered at the same address as the mosque complex, the Asahi Shimbun reportedly citing property documents.
Kawagoe city officials said the mosque was constructed without the necessary clearance.
"The building (mosque) was constructed in an urban development control area where construction is generally prohibited unless specific permissions are secured under the City Planning Act," the municipal government said in an official statement. "The building in question was constructed without the city's permission."
The city officials said the representative of the company promised to demolish the building within five years, but instead of demolition, an opening ceremony was held in April.
Images and videos posted online showed a large gathering of worshippers and community members celebrating the opening of the facility.
The event was attended by Pakistan's ambassador to Japan, Abdul Hameed, who praised the project as a symbol of friendship and religious inclusion, BBC Urdu reported.
In a clarification later, the Pakistani embassy in Japan confirmed that "the Pakistani ambassador accepted the invitation based on the information that all permits had been obtained there [for the construction of the mosque] in accordance with Japanese law.”
The embassy also urged the Pakistani community in Japan to "fully comply with Japanese laws in all matters, especially regarding the construction of places of worship”.
“The Pakistani embassy has no involvement in any such projects that do not comply with the laws of local governments,” it said.
Amid a growing population of Muslims in Japan, the number of mosques has also increased. According to Hirofumi Tanada, a professor emeritus at Waseda University, Japan has approximately 160 mosques as of 2025.
