Northeast Japan governor walks back burial cemetery plan amid opposition

     SENDAI, Sept. 19 Kyodo - The governor of Miyagi Prefecture in Japan's northeast on Thursday withdrew a plan to consider building a burial cemetery, which he had pushed as part of efforts to attract foreign workers.

    The reversal came amid a torrent of opposition as well as some support on social media. Opponents said the idea was too accommodating to foreigners who practice customs different from those of most Japanese.

    With an increasing number of Muslims living in Japan, there has been a growing demand for burial plots that conform with their religious beliefs in a country where cremation is the norm.

    Gov. Yoshihiro Murai told a meeting of the prefectural assembly on Thursday that the heads of municipalities in the prefecture disapproved of his plan. He said it would be "extremely difficult to implement."

    The governor separately told reporters that some local leaders were concerned their residents would not accept such a cemetery in their communities. At present, there are no burial cemeteries in any of the six prefectures including Miyagi that make up the Tohoku region.

    Murai said that despite withdrawing the plan, the prefectural government will continue efforts to draw foreign talent in a bid to tackle depopulation issues.

    Murai, serving his fifth four-year term as governor, is seeking reelection as an independent. The populist Sanseito party, which has recently made electoral gains with its "Japanese people first" banner and controversial rhetoric targeting foreigners and immigration, envisions fielding a candidate in the Oct. 26 gubernatorial election.

    Under Murai's leadership, the prefecture exchanged a memorandum of understanding with the Indonesian government in 2023 to secure human resources as part of efforts to support local industries.

    During an assembly meeting last October, the governor signaled his plan to consider building a burial cemetery in the prefecture, saying, "We expect to see an increase in the number of people practicing various religions. One of the major challenges is how to handle when they die."

==Kyodo