Japanese government confirms basic plan for education on respect for sexual minorities

Three years after the Japanese government enacted a law to promote understanding of sexual minorities, it finalized a basic plan aimed at providing education on respect for sexual minorities at the national and local government levels.

According to local media on the 16th, the Japanese government passed the first basic plan based on the 'LGBT Understanding Promotion Act' at the Cabinet meeting on this day, which promotes understanding of sexual minorities such as LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) and prohibits discrimination.

The plan includes establishing a counseling system for sexual minorities in schools, communities, and workplaces, and providing the government with reference materials on respect for sexual minorities to local governments.

As the 23rd marks the third anniversary of the law's enforcement, it took a considerable amount of time to establish the basic plan for the LGBT Understanding Promotion Act due to opposition from conservatives within the Liberal Democratic Party.

Since there are no penalty provisions for failure to comply with this law, the establishment of a basic plan that provides specific implementation guidelines was recognized as a means of assessing effectiveness.

According to Kyodo News, the original basic plan included the phrase, "Public understanding has not progressed sufficiently" surrounding diversity in social composition, including sexual minorities, but was later revised to say, "Related awareness is spreading."

The basic plan pointed out that there are people who live with life difficulties and anxiety due to their sexual identity, and that society should provide various counseling channels to relieve the sense of isolation felt by sexual minorities.

In addition, he said, “We aim to realize a symbiotic society where both sexual minorities and the majority can live in peace.”

At a press conference held after the establishment of the basic plan for the LGBT Understanding Promotion Act, Hitoshi Kikawada, the minister in charge of coexistence and mutual cooperation, asked local governments and other governments to refer to the basic plan and review appropriate responses related to the human rights of sexual minorities.

Previously, when Japan was pushing for the enactment of the LGBT Understanding Promotion Act in 2023, ambassadors from the United States and European countries stationed in Japan put pressure on Japan to enact legislation to protect sexual minorities, including publicly sending out messages that they opposed discrimination against sexual minorities and defended universal human rights.