SAITAMA (TR) – Municipal authorities in Kawagoe City have issued a corrective directive demanding the removal of a newly constructed mosque, declaring it an illegal structure built without permits on restricted land, reports the Sankei Shimbun (May 31).
The facility, named Japan Jama Masjid Ramzan, sits in the city’s Shimo-Akasaka district. Despite its unauthorized status, the mosque held a grand opening ceremony on April 3, an event reportedly attended by the Pakistani Ambassador to Japan.
According to the city’s Development Guidance Division, the mosque was erected in an “Urbanization Control Area” — a designated zone where development and construction are strictly regulated under the City Planning Act. The builders never submitted applications or received permission to build.
Rogue construction
City officials first learned of the rogue construction in October following complaints from local residents. By the time officials arrived, the exterior of the building was already largely complete.
Despite repeated demands from the city to halt construction, the warnings were ignored.
“Initially, the situation continued where the workers would just tell us, ‘Nihongo wakaranai‘ (I don’t understand Japanese),” a city official said. “Our staff went to the site numerous times to explicitly tell them that building there was prohibited.”
Because the structure remains unregistered and its exact owner technically unknown, the city issued its directives to the landowner. In March, ownership of the plot was transferred from a Fujimi City real estate agency to a company headed by a Pakistani national, with its headquarters listed at the same site.
Enforcing building codes
That company has since submitted a corrective plan to the city. However, despite city officials having personally witnessed the construction process, the company made the bizarre claim that “the building was already standing from the beginning,” while adding that they would “take appropriate measures toward its removal.”
The city emphasized that its actions are strictly about enforcing building codes.
“We are not making an issue out of this because it is a mosque; we issue corrective guidance for any illegal structure,” the Development Guidance Division stated. “This building was constructed without city permission, and we are continuing our guidance with demolition and removal as the ultimate goal.”
The site of the illegal mosque is located about five kilometers south of central Kawagoe City, in a quiet rural area surrounded by vegetable fields and residential homes.
