Overview of the natural hazard exposure of mosques in Japan

Foreign minorities are considered more vulnerable to natural hazards owing to their cultural, linguistic, and religious differences from those of the main population. In Japan, minorities include foreign Muslims, and the number of mosques and musallas (hereinafter collectively called mosques), where the faithful gather daily, has increased in the country. Hazard exposure assessments in such locations are important to promote inclusive disaster risk reduction (DRR). As no macroscale studies covering mosques throughout Japan exist, we assessed the natural hazard exposure of 190 mosques by compiling their geographic locations and superimposing these data on an official national hazard map. Our analysis covered six major hazards, namely landslides, tsunamis, storm surges, floods (planned level: return period of 10–100 years), floods (probable maximum level: return period of 1000 years), and liquefaction. The results indicate that more than half of mosques in Japan are not exposed to landslides, tsunamis, storm surges, or floods (planned level) [e.g., approximately 95 and 65% of mosques are not exposed to tsunamis and floods (planned level), respectively]. However, only approximately 45% are not exposed to floods (probable maximum level) or liquefaction. These results suggest that a limited number of mosques could be affected directly by natural hazards, except instances of floods (probable maximum level) and liquefaction. These findings imply that mosques could serve as relief hubs (e.g., shelters and relief supply sites) in a disaster. To realize this potential, mosque communities and related entities (e.g., governmental and non-governmental organizations) should coordinate their daily efforts toward enhancing DRR.