Foreigner’s Grave

foreigner's grave

A cemetery for non-native. Is it available in Japan regardless of nationality and religion?

 The number of resident aliens in Japan was 2,885,904 as of the end of June 2020, according to the Immigration Services Agency. From 2013 on the number of registered foreign nationals had kept on increasing and shown a new record high every year, until the trend began to decrease around February 2020 with the rapid spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.   

 However, as symbolized by the amended Immigration Control Act which entered into force in April 2019, labor shortages are becoming increasingly serious due to the dwindling birthrate and aging population in Japan. As this is the case, it is widely anticipated that the inflow of foreign workers will increase when the pandemic is over.

 The share of foreign workers accounts for around 2% of the Japanese total population of 125.9 million, at a rough estimate. I think readers have realized this fact. For instance, you often see many foreign people working at nearby convenience stores, restaurants, construction sites and so forth. In this way, internationalization is going on in cities as well as in rural areas, so that foreign labor power is indispensable to maintain the Japanese economy. These foreigners have adapted successfully to Japanese society, while living normally with their families. In the process of this adaptation of non-native people here, there are some inevitable issues.

 One of the most significant problems is the present situation of cemeteries for foreigners. More specifically, there are cases in which foreigners’ remains are not accepted by Japanese cemeteries because of the difference in burial methods depending on nationality and tradition.

 This article considers the above issue through an interview in two parts with Taido Ishige, who is the Chief Priest of Tokuunji Temple in Ishikawa Prefecture. Ishige has been making efforts to solve the issue as a religious specialist.

Suzuki (“S” below): I look forward to talking with you today. I know there are many problems with burials and cemeteries for foreign people who have passed away while resident in Japan. Considering the status and the future of Japan, these problems will become more and more important for non-native residents. To begin with, would you summarize the historical background and the current situation of the issue? I see the media have reported on problems associated with burials for Muslims in particular.

“Burials considered from the controversial issue of interments of Muslims”

Taido Ishige (“Ishige” below): According to a survey, the current population of Muslims in Japan is close to 200 thousand. It is anticipated that the number of immigrants from Islamic countries, such as those in Southeast Asia, will increase to meet the growing need for labor in the aging society with fewer children here. They say the population of Muslims here will exceed 300 thousand in 2050. As Islamic doctrine prohibits the intentional disfiguration of one’s body, the remains must be buried in the same condition as when the deceased was alive. Accordingly, the remains should be interred. However, there are only a few cemeteries where interments are allowed, due to restrictions in Japan (Note). In Kyushu area in particular, there is no such cemetery at all. As a result, in some cases it may not be possible to bury remains because of the overall insufficiency of cemeteries for Muslims where interments are allowed without requiring cremation. Therefore, the lack of cemeteries is a serious problem for Muslims in Japan.

S: I understand. Would you give examples of cemeteries where interments are allowed?

Ishige: For instance, Tama Reien (Tama Cemetery) in Fuchu City is one. There rest 426,786 mortals (as of April 1, 2021) in 128 hectares (27 times larger than Tokyo Dome, a popular baseball stadium in downtown Tokyo). This cemetery is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its opening in 1923. Recently, there is a growing tendency to dismantle family tombs and move to group graves or foreign cemeteries due to the absence of relatives to take care of the place or in order to avoid burdens on future generations. In a corner of this cemetery, there is a place where you find signboards reading “Foreigners” everywhere, indicating that there rest non-native people who have passed away in Japan. The tombstones are in various forms. Some of them have crosses, while others are engraved with foreign letters. This place used to be for interments, although it is not the case nowadays.

S: Thank you for the information. What is the general consciousness on burials among Japanese people?

Ishige: Tetsuo Yamaori, a religious philosopher, says, “It has become prevalent to send remains directly to crematories from homes or hospitals without funeral rites. The idea of the soul and the next world after death has been lost, so that remains are to be disposed of just like raw garbage. Only the convenience of survivors matters, I feel.” There are also affirmative opinions on interments that promote the idea of human beings within nature and the cycle of life, offering good opportunities to change views of life and death in Japanese society. On the other hand, other people might say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” meaning that the non-native people should accept cremation since they live in Japan. Let us play the devil’s advocate here. For instance, imagine that you had lived and died in India. What would you say if you were told that your ashes should be thrown into the Ganges River in the Indian custom? Or would you be able to accept the so-called sky burial in Tibet, casting your remains over a cliff to feed the birds? I think it would be a difficult decision for you. In the meantime, it is very hard in Japan to develop cemeteries where interments are allowed for foreign people. These projects are likely to be refused in the face of opposing opinions such as “Interments are freaky” or “There are sanitation issues.” There is a lack of understanding regarding differences of language, culture, religion, and ways of burial, as well as prejudice against foreigners. I am afraid this regrettable situation stands regarding the issue.

S: I know the existence of the issue and that it has not been possible to resolve so far.

 There is no time to waste for solving the problem, as the number of non-native people is expected to increase rapidly from now on. By the way, what is the current situation of burials in Japan?

Present situation of burials in Japan

Ishige: According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, there were 7,338 crematories nationwide at the end of 2000. In 2021, according to the government’s rough estimate from the population statistics of the year, the number has fallen to 4,307, 40% down, due to the merging of municipalities and other reasons. On the other hand, the death toll increased to 1,452,289, up 67,745 compared to the previous year, caused by the prevalence of the highly contagious coronavirus Omicron variant and other reasons. In most cases, remains were cremated, so the number of cremations was the highest since World War Ⅱ. Out of the world total population of approximately 7.8 billion as of 2020, Muslims and Buddhists comprise 25.0% and 6.3% respectively, while Christians account for 31.3%. As Christians and Muslims are generally supposed to be buried, it is considered that interments form a majority of 56.3%. While Japanese people consider cremation a matter of course, it is not necessarily common from the global point of view. However, the number of countries where cremation is being introduced is continuing to rise, in expectation of resolving hygiene problems associated with the Covid-19 pandemic and the lack of land for burials. At present, the rate of cremation is 99.98 in Japan, 96.19% in Taiwan and 93.34% in Hong Kong. Accordingly, Japan ranks at the top in the world in terms of the number of cremations, with the most advanced culture and technologies regarding that funerary method.

S: I didn’t know that. Would you tell us more about cremation, please?

Ishige: Looking into the origin of cremations, there was a kind of cremation called Kamado-zuka (stove-cemetery) in ancient times. They laid ashes to rest in tombs. I think the tradition of cremation gradually became rooted among Japanese people, supported by the historical fact that the Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was cremated. The serious insufficiency of land due to the rapid urbanization during the high economic growth period was also an important factor in making cremation the major funerary method in contemporary Japan. In the long history of Japan in terms of culture and customs, interments were predominant instead of cremation, as from ancient times through the Edo era (1603-1868), people strongly believed that damaging remains was not ethically permitted. It was around 1935 when cremations exceeded interments in terms of numbers. The ratio of cremations remained at about 80% in the 70s. It is only over the past 100 years that heavy oil and gas have been used as fuels at crematories as they are now.

S: That’s news to me. Thank you very much.

Note: The Act on Cemeteries and Interment, Etc. of Japan does not prohibit funerary methods other than cremations, such as interments. However, administrative authorities recommend cremation, from the standpoints of the environment and the health of the nation.

Especially in the Tokyo metropolitan area (excluding outer islands, ten cities among which are Hachioji, Machida, and Kunitachi, two towns and one village) and the Osaka metropolitan area, interments are prohibited by local ordinances. This is one reason why it is difficult to find cemeteries for interments in Japan.

Brief biography of the interviewee: Taido Ishige, Chief Priest of Tokuunji Temple

 Studied under the high priest Chimyo Miwa, a leading student of the high priest Etsuzen Miwa, who in turn was a follower of the Zen master Chisan Koho, 18th head abbot of the Soto Zen Buddhist Sojiji Temple.

Mr. Ishige is the Chief Priest of Tokuunji Temple, which belongs to the same sect as Sojiji Temple and has a history of about 600 years in Ishikawa Prefecture.

Education: Bachelor of Arts from Keio University. Doctorate from Graduate  

 School of Public Management, Waseda University.

 Studied international culture and religion at Strasbourg University (France).

Foreign aid activities: He has contributed to African countries in child  

 education and construction of schools and wells, etc.