The Japanese government’s increasing alignment with US military actions in the Islamic world has been impacting this nation’s relationship with the Islamic world. At the same time, there are now dozens of mosques across Japan, and many estimates now put the number of resident Muslims in Japan above one hundred thousand. Against the backdrop of the troubling overseas events, BRIDGING MUSLIMS AND JAPANESE examines how resident Muslims are coping with suspicions and responding with confidence-building activities within their local communities and beyond.