Tag: japan gay rights

Another Japanese city to recognise same-sex relationships

The city will become the fourth district in Japan to strengthen its LGBT rights. The city of Iga in Mie Prefecture has announced plans to start issuing certificates recognising same-sex partnerships as being equivalent to marriage. The certificates will be issued from next April onwards, in a bid to address discrimination against the LGBT community,… Read more »

Poll reveals that majority of Japanese support same-sex marriage

Poll results were released last month that show a majority of Japanese citizenships support changing the country’s laws to allow same-sex unions. Fifty-one percent of people polled by researchers from the National Institute of Population, Social Security Research and Japanese Universities back legal recognition of same-sex marriage. The poll quizzed 1,259 men and women between… Read more »

Third Japanese district to recognise gay relationships

A third Japanese district will soon recognise same-sex relationship with partnership certificates. The city of Takarazuka yesterday announced that it will follow in the footsteps of two Tokyo districts in recognising same-sex relationships. As well as officially recognising the relationships, the city also hopes to fuel a debate on equal marriage. The new certificates will… Read more »

New poll shows majority of Japanese support marriage equality

Many people support a change in the law, results show. According to a new poll carried out in Japan, the majority of people support changing the country’s laws to allow same-sex marriage. Support for same-sex marriage was much higher in younger age groups, with over 70 per cent 20-40 year olds backing the move. Despite… Read more »

Japan to air first lesbian drama

Fuji television has announced the airing of Transit Girls, a drama series that will feature a lesbian love story as its central theme. Japan’s first drama centred on a lesbian love story will be aired next month according to a release from Fuji Television. A promotional photo (above) shows the two lead actresses lying in… Read more »

New education minister in Japan pledges support for LGBT students

Japan’s new minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology has expressed his support for LGBT students. In an interview with The Japan Times Hiroshi Hase, Japan’s recently appointed minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology, discussed the need to support LGBT students. Hase remarked that the issues facing LGBT students were not understood… Read more »

Japan belatedly joins gay rights movement

Tokyo — As the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to sanction same-sex marriage across the United States, gay couples in Japan are belatedly making strides of their own. Starting this summer, one of Tokyo’s largest districts will begin issuing domestic partner agreements that for the first time will give legal protection to gay couples in… Read more »

Tokyo Ward Shibuya To Recognize Marriages Of Gay Couples

The assembly of Tokyo, Japan’s Shibuya ward on Tuesday approved a plan to recognize the relationships of gay and lesbian couples as the “equivalent of a marriage.” According to the AP, a majority of the ward’s 34 legislators favored the proposal, which only applies to Shibuya – a dense district known as a fashion center… Read more »

LGBT students may be ready to come out, but are Japan’s schools ready to accept them?

When university student Osamu Inoue, 19, came out openly in high school two years ago and admitted he was gay, he had hoped that at least his school would have adopted a more positive attitude toward sexual minorities. That wasn’t the case, however. “Nothing was done at the school to mend the situation in which… Read more »

Japan’s gay community highly stratified by body type and age

Japanese gay media have promoted a gay identity linked to youth, masculinity and highly gym-trained bodies as being highly desirable, says a social researcher. Gay men’s identity in Japan are subject to stereotypical categories based upon media created ideas of an idealized depiction of youth, body type and modes of consumption, says a social researcher… Read more »

Japan’s gay community highly stratified by body type and age

Japanese gay media have promoted a gay identity linked to youth, masculinity and highly gym-trained bodies as being highly desirable, says a social researcher. Gay men’s identity in Japan are subject to stereotypical categories based upon media created ideas of an idealized depiction of youth, body type and modes of consumption, says a social researcher… Read more »

Shunkoin Temple In Kyoto Helps Japan’s Same-Sex Couples Tie The Knot

A Buddhist temple in Japan is offering LGBT couples a place to have symbolic wedding ceremonies — even though gay marriage is still illegal in the country. Japan allows same-sex marriage ceremonies within its borders, according to the Council On Foreign Relations, but these couples won’t be given the legal rights and privileges that heterosexual… Read more »

Japan school introduces poster campaign to explain LGBT identities to children

A school in Japan is embarking on a new poster campaign to explain lesbian, gay, bisexual, and asexual identities to children and reduce the rate of LGBT-related bullying. Entitled Who will you come to like? the poster is part of a series on healthcare issues called Kokoro Kenkou no Nyusu roughly translated from the Japanese… Read more »

Japan: 70% of LGBT pupils bullied in school, 30% contemplate suicide

A new study in Japan has revealed 30% of LGBT school pupils have considered suicide after suffering from some of the highest rates of bullying in the country. The Japan Times reports this is the first large-scale study of its kind in the country. The report comes after a UK study found similar statistics, with… Read more »

Akie Abe, Japan’s First Lady, Joins Tokyo Gay Pride

Tokyo’s annual Gay Pride parade got a boost Sunday with the participation of Japan’s first lady Akie Abe, the wife of conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Thousands of people participated in the parade, the high point of Tokyo Rainbow Week 2014, which runs through May 6. Abe waved to parade watchers from a float and… Read more »

Japan LGBT news update

Let’s have a look at the latest LGBT updates from Japan. There’s been a revealing poll about the nation’s stance on gay marriage, a HIV awareness billboard causing a stir in Tokyo and an inspirational coming out speech from a teenager. Billboard censored in Tokyo’s gay district Viiiv Healthcare has erected a large billboard in… Read more »