Beyond Diversity: Queer Politics, Activism, and Representation in Contemporary Japan

Japan presents a unique context for conducting queer studies. Unlike Europe, North America, and other regions of the world, it is said to lack homophobia due to the absence of Christianity as moral foundation. Furthermore, the situation of LGBTQ+ people has changed rapidly over the past ten years, as the Tokyo Olympics provided another impulse for discussions about sexual minority rights. As a result, recent surveys show a dramatic increase in the acceptance of same-sex marriage.

However, Japan is the only G7 country that does not recognize same-sex partnerships and sexual minorities are not legally protected from discrimination. This is due to deeply rooted traditional and religiously tainted family values, represented and perpetuated by post-war Japan's deeply conservative political establishment.

While LGBTQ+ issues in Japan have received scholarly attention since the 1990s, there is little scholarship in English on developments after 2000, let alone in the form of anthologies. This volume will bridge this gap by shedding light on political and cultural representations of and by sexual minorities in Japan after 2000, making, thus, available in English a completely novel perspective on LGBTQ+ issues in Japan and East Asia.

Kazuyoshi Kawasaka, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Germany; Stefan Würrer, Musashi University, Japan.