Japan Muslim Association
King Faisal Prize in Service to Islam 2024 Laureate
The Association is about contributing to the soliderity and welfare of the Japanese
The Japan Muslim Association was established in 1952. Every two years, directors are elected from among the Association’s members, and they manage the Association voluntarily. There are currently 15 male and female directors, each responsible for a department of administration. The current president of the Association is Yahaya Endo (11th president).
The Association organizes a number of activities and events to serve Islam and Muslims in Japan and abroad. The Association began its activity in 1955, organizing Hajj campaigns for Japanese Muslims. In 1957, Muslim students began to be dispatched on scholarships for Islamic studies abroad. The first Islamic cemetery was established in Japan in 1966 and was registered in the name of the Association. In 1968, the Association was registered with the Japanese government as a religious organization.
The Association was interested in the Arabic language, and began offering courses to teach Arabic to the Japanese in 1969. The Association’s officials had the opportunity to meet the late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia – May Allah rest his soul in peace- during his visit to Japan in 1971. In 1972, the Association published the first translation of the holy Quran in Japanese, with the support of the Muslim World League. The translation was undertaken by Professor Omar Meta, the second president of the Association.
The Association publishes a quarterly magazine called “Islam,” whose publication began in 1974. So far, 218 issues of the magazine have been published. When the Arab Islamic Institute was opened in Tokyo by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1984, the Association cooperated with the institute in holding conferences and organizing joint activities. In 1984, the Association acceded to the membership of RISEAP (Regional Islamic Da’wa Council for Southeast Asia and the Pacific) that is based in Malaysia. In 2002, the Association also joined the Japanese Committee of the World Conference of Religious Men for Peace. In 1984, the Association began establishing the Islamic Camp in cooperation with the International Symposium for Islamic Youth in Riyadh.
Having acquired greater experience and having developed markedly, the Association’s services have expanded to a greater level in favor of Muslims in Japan and abroad. It began in 2000 to issue halal certification to Japanese companies. In 2012, it supported those affected by the major earthquake that occurred in eastern Japan. The Association contributed to the interfaith dialogue conference held by the Muslim World League in Tokyo in 2015. In 2016, the Center for Islamic Cultural Exchange in Japan was opened in Tokyo. It is a multi-purpose center that includes a prayer hall, offices, classrooms, and a library.
During his visit to Japan in 2017, the Association met with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz -May Allah preserve him. The Association participated in the “Makkah Document Conference,” which was held by the Muslim World League in Makkah Al-Mukarramah in 2019. One of the important books to which the Association contributed was the book titled “A Brief Interpretation of the Holy Quran,” which was translated into Japanese and published by the Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
This biography was written in the year the prize was awarded.
