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The head of the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday took part in an event marking Japan's LGBTQ pride week at a center in the capital, as activists and dozens of lawmakers pushed for an equality law to be enacted before the games begin in less than three months. Seiko Hashimoto visited Pride House Tokyo, an international initiative to provide a place for LGBTQ people and others to connect during the games. The first Pride House was set up during the 2010 Winter Games. Japan is the only country in the Group of Seven major industrialized nations where same-sex marriages are not legally recognized. A Japanese court ruled last month that same-sex marriage should be allowed under the constitution, although the ruling has no immediate legal effect.

A Japanese court ruled for the first time that the country’s constitution gives same-sex couples the right to enjoy the legal benefits of marriage, a pathbreaking decision in a region of the world that generally bars same-sex marriage.

When Toshitsune Tamashiro was young and closeted in 1980s Japan, Tokyo's Shinjuku Ni-chome gay district was a haven. Now he runs a bar there, and has fought to keep the district going during the coronavirus pandemic. Ni-chome, believed the most dense concentration of gay bars globally, fulfills a vital role…

Sexual minority groups and human rights activists launched a petition on Thursday calling for an LGBT equality law in Japan in hopes that it can be enacted next year, when the country is to host the Olympics and will be the focus of international attention. “In this country, equal rights for LGBT people are not guaranteed by law or in their social lives," said Yuri Igarashi, co-representative of the Japan Alliance...

Mizuho Financial Group Inc. is among companies participating in the initiative, with certificates to be created by Famiee Project.

Soccer player Shiho Shimoyamada has been encouraged by the response she has received since she became Japan's first openly gay professional athlete in Febr

Apart from the rainbow-coloured socks and pride flag flying next to the pitch it looked like any other rugby match, with players smashing into rucks, spinning passes wide and leaping at lineouts.

Taiga Ishikawa said he believes same-sex marriage will be legalised during his six-year term

People having their sexual orientation or gender identity revealed without their consent has become a deepening problem in Japan, a country known for its culture in which the "nail that sticks out gets hammered down." In recent years, there has a been a growing number of cases in which a…

Thirteen gay couples filed Japan's first lawsuit challenging the country's rejection of same-sex marriage on Valentine's Day, arguing the denial violates their constitutional right to equality.

A Japanese lesbian couple plan to stage wedding photos in every country around the world where same-sex marriage is legal in a push to increase understanding...

Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo will begin offering an accommodation package for LGBT community with a special discount, including 10% discounts on special “Gay Area Night Tour” of the Shinjuku 2-Chome LGBT area provided by Out Asia Travel.

Some Japanese schools are introducing uniforms designed less around traditional gender stereotypes and more with respecting gender expression by allowing students to choose their attire – a major benefit for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth whose identities and expressions sometimes resist those social norms.

LGBTQ and other human rights activists say the momentum for the law is rising as Japan gets attention over its handling of gender equality, diversity and other human rights issues.

A Tokyo-based nongovernmental organization launched a smartphone app on Thursday to issue digital partnership certificates for same-sex couples that will be accepted by a network of cooperating firms.

When Toshitsune Tamashiro was young and closeted in 1980s Japan, Tokyo's Shinjuku Ni-chome gay district was a haven. Now he runs a bar there, and has fought to keep the district going during the coronavirus pandemic.

Out, proud, and unabashedly homoerotic, the gay artist’s iconic imagery has become an international symbol of freedom.

Many members of sexual minorities in Japan worry that catching the novel coronavirus could mean their sexual orientation is revealed against their will as authorities probe infection routes, a supporters' group has found.

As Osaka continues to welcome visitors from around the world, the city is particularly proud of three defining characteristics. Day or night, the city’s 24-hour attractions, a cultural hub in western Japan and its pursuit of diversity are all facets of its ever-growing charm.

These daytime cafés in Shinjuku's famous gay neighbourhood offer LGBT friendliness during daylight hours.

Japan requires transgender people to be sterilised before they can get married

Christopher Harding's comprehensive "Japan Story" is an ultra-progressive account of modern Japanese history, ushering the often-ignored maverick women, socialist thinkers and doubters of the state version of modernity to the front.

According to a recent survey, around 1 in 11 Japanese say they identify as LGBT. Therefore, knowing the language of this diverse community can help greatly with understanding.

Until a few years ago, Rin Okabe, then the general affairs department manager at a subsidiary of ad agency Dentsu Inc., would say goodbye to his wife and son, and commute to work wearing a conventional suit and tie. But quietly, Okabe wanted to be viewed as a woman.

The Reconstruction Agency is launching an initiative in the hopes of drawing LGBT tourists to the Tohoku region as it looks to attract more foreign visitor