Japan’s LGBT activists push to pass equality law before Tokyo Olympics

Name: Are the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics going ahead?
Uploaded: 2021-06-05T07:00:19.000Z
Duration: 4 min 41 s
Description: Are the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics going ahead?

‘Japan is far behind the international standard,’ said Yuri Igarashi, co-chair of the Japan Alliance for LGBT Legislation

Japan does not legally recognise same-sex partnerships, and LGBT people often suffer discrimination at school, work and at home

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Yuri Igarashi, right, a co-chair of the Japan Alliance for LGBT Legislation, speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on Friday. Photo: Kyodo News via AP

Associated Press

Published: 3:00pm, 5 Jun 2021Updated: 3:06pm, 5 Jun 2021

Japanese sexual minority groups and their supporters, in a last-ditch effort to get long-sought equality legislation passed before the Tokyo Olympics, submitted requests on Friday to the governing Liberal Democratic Party, whose conservative members have stalled the bill.

The groups also have widened their campaign to gain corporate support for their cause in hopes of pressuring Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s pro-business party to support the legislation.

“In order to protect the lives and livelihood of sexual minorities, enacting an LGBT law that states discrimination is not tolerated is an indispensable first step,” said Kane Doi, Japan director for the New York-based group Human Rights Watch.

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Are the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics going ahead?

“An enactment of such a law in Japan ahead of the Olympics is also necessary for the international community,” Doi said, adding that Japan needs to demonstrate its commitment to ensuring equality for LGBTQ athletes, journalists and other participants in the Olympics, set to begin July 23.

Support and awareness of sexual diversity has slowly grown in Japan, but there is still a lack of legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Japan does not legally recognise same-sex partnerships, and LGBT people often suffer discrimination at school, work and even at home, causing many to hide their sexual identities.

“Japan is far behind the international standard,” said Yuri Igarashi, co-chair of the Japan Alliance for LGBT Legislation. She noted growing support from the business community, including Panasonic, which on Friday became the 23rd company pledging support for the cause.

Rights groups are pushing for the passage of the equality act as international attention falls on Tokyo as it hosts the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee also issued a statement stressing the importance of inclusivity in sports.