Opinion | Does Japan’s watered-down LGBTQ bill reveal how lawmakers lag society and history?
- The country passed a watered-down bill on ‘understanding’ the LGBTQ community but still lags far behind other G7 nations on protection for sexual minorities
- Despite Japan’s international stereotype as a socially conservative nation, corporate Japan and regional authorities have long lobbied parliament on LGBTQ rights
There has been less discussion of how the limits of the new law – and the prolonged battle to get it passed – highlight how national politicians are out of step with Japanese society at large.
Despite Japan’s international stereotype as a socially conservative nation – a view swayed by the political leanings of the national government – both corporate Japan and regional authorities in the country have long been out in front of parliament on the rights of LGBTQ people. Moreover, Japan’s history on same-sex relationships is decidedly more mixed than many in the country’s national politics, or in the West, would acknowledge.
Changes in society, courts and corporate Japan
The bill passed by both houses of Japan’s parliament does little to move the needle for the rights of sexual minorities in the country. There are no additional legal protections included. And a vague stipulation in the bill that “all citizens can live with peace of mind” has been criticised by LGBTQ activists for de-prioritising the rights of sexual minorities.