Homosexuality ⚢ ✔ Legal

Marriage ⚭ ✖ Unrecognized

Changing Gender ✔ Legal, but requires surgery

Adoption Ambiguous

Discrimination ✖ No protections

Housing Discrimination ✖ No protections

Employment Discrimination ✖ No protections

Military Ambiguous

Age of Consent ✔ Equal

Donating Blood ✖ Banned (6-month deferral)

Conversion Therapy ✖ Not banned Public Opinion By The Numbers 78.4% of Japanese, ages 20-59, support legalization of same-sex marriage Dentsu , 2019) 8.9% of Japanese people, age 20 to 59, identify as LGBT Dentsu , 2018) 42.3% of Japanese adults support or somewhat supported same-sex marriage Nihon Yoro Chosa-kai , 2015) 7.7% of Japanese people between 20 and 59 identify as LGBT Dentsu (online survey) , 2015) History Homosexual activity in Japan ? Legal Anal sodomy was decriminalized in 1881 when the provision was dropped from Japan's Penal Code. It was eliminated by supervision of Gustave Boissonade, a French legal scholar who served as an advisor to develop the legal system in Japan.

daynews.com/world/society/2…

h-net.org/reviews/showrev.p…

scholarship.law.cornell.edu… Sources: Report Error · Log Added by bradcoffey106 · 4 accurate votes · Illegal (other penalty) Sodomy ("keikan") was criminalized in 1873 with article 266 of the Meiji Legal Code, however, it was hardly ever punished, with only 20 recorded instances of sodomy during 1876 to 1881

Homosexuality in Modern Japan: Cultural Myths and Social Realities by Mark J. McLelland



iglhrc.org/sites/default/fi… Sources:Homosexuality in Modern Japan: Cultural Myths and Social Realities by Mark J. McLelland books.google.com/books?id=d… Male Report Error · Log Added by danlev · 2 accurate votes · Same-sex marriage in Japan ? Unrecognized Civil unions in some cities. Nationwide civil unions and gay marriage pending.

quora.com/How-many-countrie… Sources: Report Error · Log Added by Ausyk · 3 accurate votes · Unrecognized Article 24 of the Japanese Constitution states that "marriage shall be based only on the mutual consent of both sexes and it shall be maintained through mutual cooperation with the equal rights of husband and wife as a basis".

kantei.go.jp/foreign/consti… Sources: Report Error · Log Added by bradcoffey106 · 1 accurate vote · Right to change legal gender in Japan ? Legal, but requires surgery Requires surgery and steralization. Missing non binary options on documents.

hrw.org/video-photos/intera… Sources: Report Error · Log Added by Ausyk · 2 accurate votes · Legal, but requires surgery Transgender citizens have the option to legally change their gender only after undergoing sex-reassignment surgery.

globalrights.org/site/DocSe… Sources: Report Error · Log Added by bradcoffey106 · 2 accurate votes · Same-sex adoption in Japan ? Ambiguous The United States State Department states: "there are no laws regulating or addressing same-sex couples adopting in Japan, but there have been no known cases of this happening."

adoption.state.gov/country_… Sources: Report Error · Log Added by bradcoffey106 · 1 accurate vote · LGBT discrimination in Japan ? Illegal Full discrimination protections. Missing Housing Discrimination protections.

ilga.org/downloads/02_ILGA_… Sources: Report Error · Log Added by Ausyk · 1 accurate vote · No protections Japan does not have LGBT protections from discrimination in employment, housing, etc. The Japanese Constitution promises equal rights to all and this is widely interpretted as extending to LGBT citizens.

hrw.org/news/2011/02/01/jap… Sources: Report Error · Log Added by bradcoffey106 · 1 accurate vote · LGBT housing discrimination in Japan ? Ambiguous In certain cities. Sources:

No Added by Report Error · Log Added by Ausyk · 0 accurate votes · No protections



However, the Human Rights Committee report states that in reality, "municipalities decide who can rent public houses under the amended Public Housing Law and few municipal policies allow same-sex couples to qualify. Thus, in practice same-sex couples remain excluded from public housing." In a 2008 report by the UN Human Rights Committee, they expressed concern about discrimination against LGBT people in several areas, including housing. According to Article 23(1) of Japan’s Public Housing Law, it only applies to married and unmarried different-sex couples. However, in October of 2012 , the Japanese government stated that Article 23(1) was abolished and, therefore, same-sex partners were no longer excluded.However, the Human Rights Committee report states that in reality, "municipalities decide who can rent public houses under the amended Public Housing Law and few municipal policies allow same-sex couples to qualify. Thus, in practice same-sex couples remain excluded from public housing."

iglhrc.org/sites/default/fi…

iglhrc.org/sites/iglhrc.org… Sources: Report Error · Log Added by danlev · 1 accurate vote · LGBT employment discrimination in Japan ? Sexual orientation and gender identity Nationwide discrimination protections.

ilga.org/downloads/02_ILGA_… Sources: Report Error · Log Added by Ausyk · 0 accurate votes · No protections In a 2008 report by the UN Human Rights Committee, they expressed concern about discrimination against LGBT people in several areas, including employment.

iglhrc.org/sites/iglhrc.org… Sources: Report Error · Log Added by danlev · 2 accurate votes · Homosexuals serving openly in military in Japan ? Don't Ask, Don't Tell No Nationwide discrimination protections in place. Sources:

No Added by Report Error · Log Added by Ausyk · 2 accurate votes · Ambiguous The Japanese do not have a specific policy either banning or encouraging LGBT participation in the Self Defense Forces. Research by Sabine Fruhstuck has shown that many Japanese do not object to open LGBT service in the military provided it does not interfere with their performance.

palmcenter.org/press/dadt/r… Sources: Report Error · Log Added by bradcoffey106 · 0 accurate votes · Equal age of consent in Japan ? Equal The national age of consent is 13 for both same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples. Cities and prefectures may set higher ages of consent.

ageofconsent.com/japan.htm Sources: Report Error · Log Added by bradcoffey106 · 2 accurate votes · Blood donations by MSMs in Japan ? Banned (6-month deferral) Red Cross Japan reduces deferral for high HIV risk individual from 12 months to 6 months.

jrc.or.jp/donation/informat… Sources: Report Error · Log Added by vviet93 · 2 accurate votes · Legal According to the Japanese Blood Blank.

ajet.net/community/voluntee… Sources: Report Error · Log Added by Ausyk · 0 accurate votes · Banned (1-year deferral) Gay men in Japan are banned from donating blood following one (1) year after male-male sexual contact. Japanese Red Cross opposses this practice.

huffingtonpost.com/anai-rho…

hpm.org/en/Surveys/IPSS_-_J… Sources: Report Error · Log Added by bradcoffey106 · 0 accurate votes · Conversion therapy in Japan ? Not banned Conversion therapy ban pending. Sources:

No Added by Report Error · Log Added by Ausyk · 1 accurate vote · Search Interest

Consensual sexual activity between individuals of the same sex.

Marriage and marriage recognition between two people of the same biological sex and/or gender identity.

Legal recognition of sex reassignment by permitting a change of legal gender on an individual's birth certificate.

The ability for same-sex couples to legally adopt a child.

Prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

Prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity when applying for housing or discrimination by landlords / property owners.

Prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity in employment, including hiring, promotion, termination, harassment, etc.

The ability for homosexuals to serve in the military and be open about their sexuality.

The difference between legal age of consent for homosexual sex and heterosexual sex.

The ability for MSMs (men who have sex with men) to donate blood or tissue for organ transplants. A deferral period refers to a waiting time before a man can donate after having sex.

Legal status of conducting sexual orientation changing therapy ("ex-gay" therapy)

The Equality Index is an experimental rating to help visualize the legal rights and public attitudes towards LGBT people in a given region.



Currently, the index only applies to written law — not necessarily practiced law — and only takes public opinion into account when data is available.