SAITAMA - An unauthorized Islamic prayer hall has been built on land in Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture, where new construction is generally prohibited, prompting the city to order the landowner to remove the structure.
The city has issued corrective guidance to the Pakistan-linked company that owns the land, seeking the removal of the mosque, but no clear path toward resolving the issue has emerged. Kawagoe Mayor Hatsue Morita said at a regular press conference on July 10 that city officials conducted a voluntary on-site inspection on July 2 and that the city would "deal strictly with the matter to achieve an early resolution."
According to the city, the mosque consists of four structures, including buildings with domes, on a site of about 4,500 square meters in Shimoakasaka, Kawagoe. The area, located about 4 kilometers southwest of Kamifukuoka Station on the Tobu Tojo Line, is surrounded by farmland and designated as a zone where urbanization should be restricted.
The city confirmed construction work on the mosque in October 2024 and urged that the work be halted. However, after the buildings were completed, the city repeatedly issued administrative guidance, saying the construction violated the City Planning Act.
Source: Kyodo
