Details of the Initiative
In Japan, it was not until the late 1990s, or in some cases even the 21st century, that legal research began addressing issues such as sexual orientation (SO), gender identity (GI), and LGBTQ+. My research focuses on civil and family law issues, including same-sex partnership system and same-sex marriage, transgender, non-binary and third-gender identities, and the legal relationships between same-sex parents and children.
Over the past two years, Japan has undergone major legal shifts. On October 25, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that requiring sterilization to change one’s gender in the family registry violates the Constitution. Several High Courts have also ruled the existing ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
While these are encouraging steps forward, many issues remain unresolved, and Japan has only just begun serious discussions on how to address them. My research explores solutions to family-related issues, particularly parent-child relationships, that are anticipated to become more pressing in the future, through analysis of judicial precedents and comparative studies of foreign legal systems in similar cases.
On June 6, 2025, I presented on Japanese legal precedents in the session, “The Current State of Law on Legal Gender Change” at the Japan-Taiwan International Symposium, “Transgender Rights Protection and Current Challenges,” held at Meiji University Global Hall.
