A Short History of Acceptance and Pride in Japan

Rachael Emery
6月19日
読了時間: 6分

“Until there is change, we won’t give up.” https://trp2024.trparchives.com/

While people of all gender identities whole-heartedly believe year-round in the truth that love is love, the month of June in particular is when people and communities around the globe celebrate this irrefutable fact and take enormous pride in themselves for who they are and for who they wish for others to recognize them to be. Hence the name of the month-long celebration PRIDE.

Since ancient times, Japanese society historically has never viewed sexuality as a moral issue. Japan’s oldest native religion, Shintoism, thinks of sexuality as a natural phenomenon that should be enjoyed with few inhibitions. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual people have had a role to play in the history and development of Japan and its society since at least the Heian Period (794 C.E. - 1158 C.E. ), frequently appearing in poems such as one written by the Shingon priest Socho (1448–1532), literature such as The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu, and art such as ukiyoe painted by artists like Hokusai Katsushika, Kitagawa Utamaro, and Utagawa Kuniyoshi.

Man and youth, Miyagawa Isshō, ca. 1750 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_Japan

However, over time Japan has been greatly influenced by outside ideals. Before the Meiji Period ( ~1868 C.E.) influences of religions such as Chinese Confucianism and Buddhism socially discouraged same-sex relationships. And again during the Meiji Period (1858 C.E. - 1912 C.E.) with the opening of Japan’s borders to the world and the government’s efforts to modernize and be taken seriously as a world economic power, western world views which saw same-sex relationships as immoral further influenced society’s views on such relationships.

Since then, the western world generally started working to change society’s feelings and acceptance towards same-sex relationships and gender identity since the 1970s. Love for yourself, love for who you are, and love for another no matter their identity is the ethos of today’s PRIDE participants and the core principle of PRIDE’s colorful display of affections across countries.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/04/23/national/tokyo-rainbow-pride-first-time-four-years/

Though the world’s first ever PRIDE event took place in Manhattan, USA in 1970 to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, modern Japan has only recently begun to engage in efforts to promote acceptance of same-sex relationships and gender identity on a large scale in the last thirty years, with Japan not seeing its first PRIDE event take place until August 28, 1994.

https://trp2019.trparchives.com/pride-parade/

This first event, a parade called The First Lesbian and Gay Parade, started with just one hundred people walking together through Tokyo City. But as the group continued walking throughout the day, word spread of the march making its way through the streets, and more and more people joined in the celebration. The final count of paraders for acceptance and recognition ended that first event with roughly 1000 people in pursuit of their right to be unabashedly open about who they are and who they love.

From this first event, many efforts on different fronts have been made to foster understanding, acceptance, and inclusivity. As mentioned above, Japan is no stranger to sexual identities and gender topics being in the social and media spotlight. But these days with various celebrities, companies, and even politicians making their debut in either coming out or standing with the LGBTQIA+ community, the fight for recognition, acceptance, and equal treatment has progressed

in leaps and bounds.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recognition_of_same-sex_unions_in_Japan

Some of the changes Japan has seen include same-sex unions being granted to couples. The first city to offer same-sex union certificates was Shibuya City in 2015. This led to more and more cities across the nation offering this certificate year-after-year, expanding to 107 cities in 2022. Ibaraki Prefecture became the first prefecture to offer a same-sex partnership program in 2019 and 30 other prefectures followed soon after. In December of 2023, Date City in Fukuoka Prefecture officially started their same-sex partnership program, which means that there are now programs available in all 47 prefectures as of 2024.

Other efforts have come from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology has even undertaken a thorough inspection of junior high school moral education textbooks and has made topics such as sexuality and gender identity a compulsory part of the country’s curriculum. These new curriculums have been in effect since 2018, being taught and discussed with students their second year of junior high school (age 13-14) in moral education classes.

Matsuko Deluxe Nana Okada Ayaka Ichinose, Akane Sugimori

People who identify as LGBTQIA+ are common in all forms of media today, such as former journalist and editor and current TV host Matsuko DELUXE, former AKB48 member Nana Okada, and actresses Ayaka Ichinose and Akane Sugimori. The latter two held their wedding in their home city of Shinjuku in 2015 to raise awareness, as this was before same-sex unions were available. Even LGBTQIA+ manga and anime characters have made their place in Japanese society. These appearances in everyday media that expose people to the presence of the LGBTQIA+ community helps not only to draw positive attention to the community, but also helps the average person to see that these members of society are just as present and worthy of acceptance as everyone else.

No matter what form it takes, the right to be unequivocally yourself is the ultimate freedom. It’s something we all strive for, whether that’s how you choose to present to the world, or who you choose to love. Japan is striving for change. So, if you’d like to participate in the movement of love and acceptance that is PRIDE, here is an extensive list of events around Japan that take place throughout the year. Take PRIDE in who you are, how you choose to express yourself, and who you love, because at the end of the day, love is love is love, and it’s what makes the world go ‘round.

How will you celebrate Pride this year? Let us know in the comments or tag us on social media at any event you participate in! @givingtuesdayjapan #givingtuesdayjapan