LGBT+ Activism in Japan

LGBT Activism in Japan

For this assignment, I picked a group that is working towards LGBTQ+ justice and rights in Japan. Japan is a famously conservative country, with many laws that discriminate against queer people. The Japanese LGBTQ movement has strategically targeted local courts and municipal governments for gradual reform that has led to an increase in LGBTQ acceptance and queer rights. Since the past six years, the LGBT movement in Japan has slowly been gaining momentum and they have been increasingly bringing change to Japan.

One of the ways they built their movement is target areas where awareness and activism can be built upon—for example, in the healthcare, education, and employment fields.

An example of this can be how trans rights has been framed as a public health issue.

Because of this, Japanese LGBT activists have pushed for trans citizens to legally be able to change their changer in official registration documents. While in the education field, bullying has been taken up as an issue that activists can focus on, urging for a zero-tolerance policy on harassment and hate speech.

This allows for better school conditions for queer and trans Japanese children.