Japanese Transgender Worker’s Harassment Case Victory Could Signal Change

Mar 16 (jdsupra.com) - In what has been deemed a rare and landmark case, Japanese labor authorities have recognized Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) harassment as a work-related disease eligible for workers’ compensation benefits for the first time.

Although sexual orientation and gender identity-based discrimination is not technically illegal in Japan, companies with employees in Japan should take notice of this case as it may be a sign of things to come. This Insight also provides four steps you should consider in light of this groundbreaking decision. Treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals in Japan has come under scrutiny in recent years. Historically, transgender individuals, for example, have not enjoyed legislative or other protections that other groups have. In 2003, the legislature passed the Gender Identity Disorder Special Cases Act, which outlines the process transgender individuals must follow in order to legally change their gender. The process, which has been criticized as archaic because it assumes transgender identity is a form of psychosis, requires applicants to undergo a psychiatric evaluation and become surgically sterilized in order for their petition to be considered. ...continue reading

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

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Wild Boar’s Tough-Love Parenting Caught on Camera

A mother wild boar was filmed on a university campus leaving five piglets to scale a wall on their own, offering a rare glimpse of what one lecturer described as "Spartan" parenting in the wild as baby animals appear across Japan with the arrival of the season.

Tutor Takes Eiken Test for Student Using Fake Face Recognition

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Unidentified Mound Found at Japan’s Largest Keyhole Tomb

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