Japan Installing Prayer Rooms in Airports for Muslim Visitors

Due to an increase in Muslim tourists and investors, the Japanese authorities are planning to make facilities more Muslim-friendly, by doing more to provide suitable prayer rooms at airports, as well as provide halal food.

"We will seek to create a user-friendly airport for Muslims and other people who will visit Japan for the Olympic Games," a public relations official at Narita Airport told Nikkei Asian Review.

With the approach of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, the games are expected to attract millions of visitors from around the world, especially from Muslim countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and South-East Asia.

Therefore, Japan is preparing itself by running training courses to inform businesses and airports on Islam, to make their services suitable for Muslim customers.

Steps include installing prayer rooms along with washing facilities in airports, which should be complete by January.

Islam was originally introduced to Japan in 1920 when Turkic Muslims escaping from the Soviet Union’s brutal crackdown on religion took refuge in the country. By 1930, 1000 Muslims were living in Japan. Today, the figure stands at around 120,000.