How does Japan view Homosexuality?

Homosexuality has been a topic of long discussions on the internet and in the media. In recent years, homosexuals have managed to enter society and have their rights to be treated equally and without prejudice. How are gays treated in Japan? Is there prejudice from the Japanese towards homosexuals? What do the media or traditional people think about this?

Remembering that this subject is quite delicate, unfortunately due to a lack of knowledge I have used terms and words that left some furious. I have only done extensive research on the subject in Japan to bring the information to you, I hope you like it! I am against prejudice! I believe that everyone does what they want with their life, and our obligation is to respect. Unfortunately, respect has died in some places today.

I see a lot of unnecessary conflict between gays and religious people, the bible is clear regarding homosexuality, there is no reason to try to change that, but it also speaks of free will, love, and respect, something that many religious people are forgetting. It is even hypocrisy, since the same biblical text that condemns homosexuality condemns premarital sex and adultery, a practice quite common among the general population, and I do not see religious people with prejudice against that. But that is not the theme of the article [Going back…] What is the opinion of Buddhism and Shintoism on this subject? What do the religions that predominate in Japan think about this? Or even Christians in Japan? These are some of the things we will address in this long article.

What does religion in Japan think?

There are no explicit religious prohibitions against homosexuality in traditional Japanese religion. The first religion of Japan is Shintoism, there are no records that approve or condemn the practice, in fact, Shintoism is quite open and does not dictate how behavior or sexual life should be. In Shintoism, sex precedes the birth of a nation and its people, even the origin of Japan according to Shintoism came from sexual relations.

In Buddhism, sex is linked to desire, in the past no practicing Buddhist, especially monks and priests, should engage in any type of conduct involving sex, whether heterosexual or homosexual. In the past, Buddhism considered heterosexual activity more offensive, as women were considered contaminating by nature. In fact, there are many historical accounts involving homosexuality within Buddhism. The isolation of monasteries likely encouraged the growth of homosexual culture among Buddhist monks and priests.

There was a tradition called wakashudo, where samurais made vows of commitment and created a strong bond with their apprentices. Although it did not involve sex, historical records clearly show homosexual relationships among samurais, monks, and men of high society. This is because within wakashudo, the fraternity contract allowed for sexual favors as rewards for the teachings of bushido. This happened because it was believed that women stole energy and diverted the warrior’s focus.

Lesbianism receives little literary mention, but there are records from the Edo period. Although Buddhism has greatly influenced homosexual culture in Japan, Western influence has somewhat obscured this acceptance that Japan had in the past.

How does Japan view Homosexuality?

Although acceptance is greater than in other countries, Westernization has created some prejudice in Japanese society in general. Japan is much more open to behavior than to practice. We can notice this in the subcultures of crossdressers and in the general behaviors of the Japanese, whether in fashion or personality. There is no strong concept of machismo in Japan; it is perfectly normal for heterosexuals to have customs and behaviors that in Brazil would be seen as feminine or homosexual.

Gay marriage is still not allowed throughout Japan, only in the Shibuya district, Tokyo (2017), but Japan accepts foreign same-sex marriage. Sexual orientation is not protected by national civil rights laws, which means that LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) Japanese do not have legal recourse when facing such discrimination in areas such as employment, education, housing, health, and banking services.

The Japanese do not have problems regarding homosexuality because even heterosexual couples do not show many feelings in public. Being reserved is part of Japanese culture; while in the West many homosexuals stand out, the Japanese remain reserved, with few knowing each person’s sexual orientation, and their behavior does not highlight or define that.

In Japan, those who stand out for being different from societal norms are subject to criticism, social exclusion, and discrimination. Not because the person is homosexual, but simply because they are different. This is quite strange, because Japan is known for having the most different and unique people in the world, whether in personality, fashion, customs, etc. On one hand, some are critical, while others do not care or interfere in people’s lives, finding interesting the different things. We can assimilate some aspects of homosexual prejudice with prejudice against foreigners in Japan.

Homosexuality in Japanese media

Since the past, the Japanese have shown that they do not care about people’s sexual orientation or behavior. It is not just about historical records, monks, and samurais; even within art, Kabuki Theater stands out with men performing dramatic portrayals of women, with dance and music.

Currently, in animes and mangas, we always find characters that appear to be homosexual; often this is not specified exactly because relationships are treated slowly in animes. In addition, there are several works of mangas, novels, and homosexual animes that stand out in Japan and the world, such as Yaoi and Yuri.

Frequently, anime characters appear dressed as women both for comedic relief and to show a subculture of people who enjoy dressing as women, not necessarily people attracted to the same sex. Generally, these characters are called trap and femboy.

Some positions in companies in Japan are preferable to married people, which makes most Japanese try to marry before 30. This is another difficulty that gays may face when trying to obtain a high position in a certain job.

Japan is a great option for those who want to live naturally or are afraid of being discriminated against, as there is no concept of how each person should act. What is your opinion on this subject?

Is there Homophobia in Japan?

Although the article clearly answers this question by detailing how Japan views homosexuality, I also want to leave a video from my friend Caipira in Japan that addresses a bit of this subject: