The first Muslim place of worship in Japan was established in Nagoya. In March 1931, a group of Muslims formed the Nagoya Kaikyodan, laying the foundation for the city’s early Islamic community. In 1936, they built a two-story wooden mosque in what is now Chikusa Ward. Sadly, this mosque was destroyed during World War II, and for the next five decades, Nagoya had no mosque. In the 1980s, as the number of foreign-born Muslims in the region grew, the need for a proper place of worship resurfaced. Volunteers began renting a room in an apartment to hold Friday prayers. Over time, many of these Muslims married Japanese locals and decided to settle permanently in Nagoya. This led to fundraising efforts and the eventual purchase of land for a new mosque. After 50 years, a mosque returned to Nagoya. The Nagoya Mosque held its inauguration in July 1998, with prominent attendees such as the Imam of Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Japan. Since its opening, the mosque has provided a space for daily and Friday prayers and has hosted various activities including study circles and women’s gatherings on weekends. It has also served as a vital hub for both foreign-born and Japanese Muslims to connect and receive guidance on adapting to life in Japan. In 2002, Nagoya Mosque was officially recognized by the Japanese government as a religious organization, becoming the third mosque in the country to receive such status, after those in Kobe and Tokyo. Since then, it has remained committed to supporting the diverse Muslim community in the area.

Architecturally, Nagoya Mosque is a four-story, reddish-brown reinforced concrete building located on a 61.7 square meter plot. It features two minarets—an uncommon sight in Japan. The first floor includes an office and ablution area, the second floor is dedicated to women’s prayer, and the upper two floors serve as men’s prayer spaces. Each floor can hold around 60 worshippers. Notably, the women’s prayer room was moved from the fourth to the second floor to accommodate mothers with children. As the number of worshippers continued to grow, the mosque expanded by acquiring adjacent properties in 2013, 2017, and again in 2019. Today, the mosque sits on a total of 1,881.69 square meters, reflecting its growing role in Nagoya’s Muslim community.