Japan to roll out nationwide LGBTQIA+ education for the first time

Calls have continued to grow in recent years to legalise same-sex marriage in Japan. (Reuters: Issei Kato, file) A standardised education program about LGBTQIA+ people is set to be rolled out across Japan. Schools, universities and workplaces will promote understanding of gender and sexual diversity under the plan. The scheme could be endorsed by Japan's cabinet this month. Link copiedShareShare articleJapan is set to roll out nationwide LGBTQIA+ education for the first time in schools, workplaces, universities and homes. Japanese media reports that the plan is designed to promote public understanding and awareness of gender and sexual diversity in the country, which has not legalised same-sex marriage. The draft program reportedly notes that LGBTQIA+ people can "experience confusion, anxiety and difficulties in daily life due to insufficient public understanding." The scheme has been years in the making, with the Act on the Promotion of Public Understanding of the Diversity of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity passed in 2023, requiring the creation of a plan. The final plan is yet to be made public, with experts also awaiting more detail. Reports suggest schools are set to provide information to students about sexually and gender-diverse people, while also ensuring that pupils have adequate access to social workers and counsellors. Universities would revise curricula to ensure that people training to become healthcare professionals and teachers have in-depth knowledge of sexual diversity. Videos, leaflets and training videos promoting awareness, diversity and academic research will be combined with stronger consultation schemes to measure the public's understanding of sexual diversity. Gay couples do not have the same rights in Japan as straight couples. (Reuters: Kyodo, file) Yearly reports on the program, public understanding and related policies will be introduced, with the overall scheme to be reviewed once every three years. The plan was presented to and approved by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) earlier this month, and is expected to be signed off by Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae's cabinet soon. Alisha Khojanazar is a molecular neuroscience research technician at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology and identifies as a woman of transgender origin. She welcomed the education plan as a "great initial step". "If it would lead to some kind of broader protection by law, that would be great. But with the current political climate in Japan, I would love it to be more inclusive." Alisha Khojanazar hopes for broader legal protection for people in the LGBTQIA+ community in Japan. (Supplied) She told the ABC her university was very welcoming to the LGBTQIA+ community, with gender-neutral bathrooms and pride celebrations held regularly, but said the country had a long way to go. "It's very hard to meet someone who is open and queer and Japanese," she said, adding many people in the country were reluctant to speak freely about their sexuality or gender. Yui Oizumi, a student at Sophia University in Tokyo, identifies as queer. She described the education plan as a "baby step" that would have some positive effects. "Training teachers and employers to be mindful is good. But at the same time, I think it's not really going to do much to change the perception of regular everyday people and how they think about queer people," she said. "I think that's going to take more time and more conscious effort through media as well." Yui Oizumi supports elements of the education plan but feels more protections are needed. (Supplied) She said outright homophobia was rare in Japan, but she constantly ran into people who did not understand that she was queer. "That is such an alien concept that people are like, 'What do you mean? That doesn't make any sense.' And that's kind of where the struggle lies the most for me," she said. She added that friends of hers in a lesbian relationship had been denied rental properties because they were in a same-sex relationship, and believed an anti-discrimination law would better protect the community. There are no national laws outlawing discrimination against gay people in Japan, but some local government areas and labour laws offer some protections. Japan is the only member of the G7 to not legalise gay marriage. The Japanese government also does not recognise the marriages of same-sex couples if they were legally married in other countries. Some courts have found same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional. (AP: Kyodo News) Kazuyoshi Kawasaka, an expert in LGBTQIA+ rights in Japan at The University of Tokyo, said the government had decided against anti-discrimination laws to appease conservative factions of the LDP. Ms Takaichi opposes same-sex marriage, despite previously saying that "there should be no prejudice against sexual orientation or gender identity". "The LDP is very conservative, especially for promoting traditional family

Japan to roll out nationwide LGBTQIA+ education for the first time

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