In Japan, most of the burial will be done by cremation then their ashes entombed, which can’t be applied to Muslims. It brings concern about the lack of Muslim cemeteries and burial processes in the Islamic way we can take in the country.

Muslim Cemetery

Japan has some Muslim cemeteries within the country.

However, there is still no Muslim cemetery in the Kyushu area, which makes mosques or Muslim associations need to cooperate with mosques and associations in other areas to process the burial.

In the Islamic way, the body needs to be buried within 24 hours. In that case, it will cost more and takes time if no burial sites nearby.

The Muslim community in Oita Prefecture in the Kyushu area is proposing for Muslim cemetery but facing opposition from locals as reported by The Mainichi.

The Process

To get the body processed in the Islamic way, the family or a related person needs to contact the embassy (if he/she is a foreign resident and if it is desired to send the body to his/her home country), the local Muslim association such as Japan Muslim Association, or to the nearest mosque.

Mosques in Japan

For Japanese Muslims, it is strongly recommended to register themselves at the nearest mosque and/or Muslim association to get a card to certify that they want to be buried in the Islamic way.

“I hereby declare that upon my death my body be laid to rest according to Islamic ritual“

The Fee

Mostly, there are no charges for funeral service, however, there are charges for graves, transportation, and grave preparation. The cost varies according to the graveyard in Japan. According to the Japan Islamic Trust which manages Yawara Muslim Graveyard in Ibaraki Prefecture, it costs 135,000 yen per grave, including the cost of digging, refilling, placing a standard nameplate on the grave giving name and date of death, and maintenance of the graveyard.