KYODO NEWS - Jul 2, 2018 - 20:44 | Lifestyle, All, Japan

A national women's university in Tokyo said Monday it will start from April 2020 accepting students born male but who identify themselves as female.

Ochanomizu University, Japan's first institution of higher education for women with a 142-year history, is believed to become the first women's university in the country to accept transgender students, according to the education ministry.

(Ochanomizu University)

[Courtesy of Ochanomizu University]

Women's universities in Japan have restricted applicants to those registered as women under the country's family register system.

But many of the universities, including Tsuda University and Japan Women's University, both in Tokyo, are considering modifying their qualifications as similar moves have been taken by universities in the United States in recent years.

Ochanomizu University will hold a press conference in the near future to explain the details of its measure, including how it plans to confirm whether an applicant is transgender.

The university said it intends to accept "transgender students who hope to study at a women's university based on their gender identity."

"There is no reason to turn down transgenders as long as they are eager to study at a women's university," said a 20-year-old student attending the university.

A graduate student, 25, welcomed the move too, saying, "Some students might mind what to do with restrooms and dressing rooms, but I personally have no problems with it. A greater variety in people on the campus brings more fun."

The latest move comes as Japan is slowly starting to accommodate the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Some municipalities have started recognizing LGBT couples due to the lack of a national-level system to recognize such partnerships, while some junior high schools are introducing genderless uniforms or flexible uniform codes to support sexual minority students.

One in 13 people in Japan is estimated to be a member of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, according to a survey conducted in 2015 by the Japanese advertising giant Dentsu Inc.