Japanese schools to introduce genderless swimsuits with unisex two-piece design
Three Japanese schools plan to introduce new genderless swimsuits with unisex two-piece designs during the current academic year (April 2022 to March 2023), with ten…
LGBTQ*
Hard Rock Cafe Japan marks Pride Month with colourful ‘Love is Love Shake’ supporting LGBTQ+ community
June is celebrated worldwide as Pride Month, and more and more brands in Japan are joining in with special products or packaging makeovers. Last year,…
One of the pitfalls of working from home when you’re dating a colleague [Manga]
Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, using video conferencing tools to facilitate working from home has become commonplace. As many of our readers know, these…
Young Japanese couple gets surprising reaction after telling their real estate agent they’re gay
Although change has been slow, there is a growing awareness of and respect for various forms of diversity within Japanese society. With regards to sexual…
Birds of a feather: Piplup works as assistant for veteran novelist in manga for Project Pochama
A serialized manga is now being distributed from the official Twitter feed of “Project Pochama” operated by The Pokémon Company. The series, which is currently…
SHIBUYA109 Lab reveals results from Generation Z Gender Awareness survey
Though this year has seen Japan move up from 121st place to ranking in at 120 (out of a total of 156), Japan’s Gender Gap…
Pride House Tokyo Legacy now provides wraparound support for LGBTQ+ youth under 25
In April 2021, the Pride House Tokyo consortium, a voluntary organization, launched a free counseling and wraparound support program for LGBTQ+ and questioning youth and…
Japanese residents react to ruling that same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional
Monumental cultural shifts are almost commonplace this day in age. The world has been turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic forcing many to live…
CHIME FOR CHANGE’s Zine on feminism, gender and self expression issues in Japan
CHIME FOR CHANGE gathers together the voices of those who are aiming to achieve gender equality and a stronger community. In their latest issue, the…
Japan’s first permanent LGBTQ centre set to open in Shinjuku
Coinciding with International Coming Out Day, Japan’s first permanent LGBTQ centre will open it’s doors to the public on Sunday the 11th of October 2020….
YouTuber comes out to his family and has a heart-to-heart talk with his parents
Japanese society can sometimes be conservative and rigid. While residents of this country are mostly friendly and warm-hearted, expectations are taken seriously, and norms are…
Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2020 Takes Pride Celebrations Online
With robot restaurants, maid cafes, and the notoriously bizarre penis festival, it is not hard to agree on the fact that Tokyo is a place…
INTERVIEW | Hio Miyazawa Hopes ‘his’ Movie Starts LGBTQ Conversation in Japan
Yukari Tanaka for JAPAN Forward Rikiya Imaizumi, one of the leading directors in romance films, has a new movie – his. It is a sequel…
Japanese Jeweler Sells “LGBTQ Wedding Rings” But Same-Sex Marriage Isn’t Legal in Japan
Founded in 1981, K.UNO Co., Ltd., is the largest custom-made jewelry shop in Japan, employing over 50 designers, 180 craftspersons and producing more than 40,000…
Mangaka and Illustrator Sakuma Asana’s Retro Bubble Tea Ad Has A Modern-Day Message
Bubble tea drinks are all the rage in Japan and shops selling bubble tea, or tapioca タピオカ as it’s called here, seem to be popping…