A reporter walked into a Japanese cabinet press conference and started reading verses from the Quran out loud to the minister.
His goal? To convince Japan it should change its laws to accommodate Muslim customs.
He quoted three passages and argued Japan should “respect multicultural religions and laws.”
Then he asked Minister Onoda Kimi why Japan won’t legalize burial graves for foreign residents.
She didn’t blink.
“In Japan’s coexistence society, Japanese culture is the line we absolutely will not cross. I have said this repeatedly.”
The room went quiet.
Onoda — Japan’s first-ever minister for foreigner policy — has built her entire platform on one idea: foreigners are welcome, but they adapt to Japan, not the other way around.
The reporter wanted Japan to build cremation alternatives, change burial law, and “educate” foreigners about local rules.
Onoda told him to take the burial question to a different ministry — and made clear her answer wouldn’t change.
This is the difference between Japan and Europe in one exchange.
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