News On Japan

Japanese Transgender Worker’s Harassment Case Victory Could Signal Change

Mar 16, 2023 (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

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Japan's Obon travel rush began on August 7 under severe disruption from Typhoon No. 13, with hundreds of flights canceled across Okinawa and Kagoshima as Shinkansen trains and expressways prepared for their main outbound peak on August 8, while a second typhoon raised concerns about further travel trouble next week.

A large and strong Typhoon No. 13 was making its closest approach to Okinawa's main island and the Amami region on August 7, bringing torrential rain, violent winds and waves exceeding 8 meters as the slow-moving storm threatened to prolong severe weather through August 8.

Requests for rapidly constructed "instant houses" are growing across areas of Kumamoto Prefecture devastated by the recent earthquake, providing air-conditioned temporary shelter for residents who have been sleeping in tents and vehicles beside their damaged homes.

Toyota Motor has begun recruiting residents of Shizuoka Prefecture to live in Woven City, its experimental community for developing future technologies, with about 25 households expected to move into the site for two years from March 2027.

Nine days after the Kumamoto earthquake, a supermarket in Hikawa, where the strongest seismic intensity of 7 was recorded, is moving toward reopening while providing free groundwater to residents as about 3,200 households remain without running water.

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A proposal to allow children to decide whether to view graphic photographs and other harrowing materials at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum has sparked debate as the city marks the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing.

Children with freshly shaved heads walked slowly through the corridors of Higashi Honganji in Kyoto as they took part in a Buddhist ordination ceremony marking their formal entry into the priesthood.

Schools, universities, and EdTech companies in the United States are shifting from legacy systems and off-the-shelf tools to custom learning management systems.

Japanese elementary and junior high school students are spending more time on social media and watching videos while devoting less time to studying, according to a nationwide government survey released on August 4.

A high school student in Nagano Prefecture who had been unable to speak in unfamiliar places or in front of strangers because of selective mutism found the confidence to use his voice through three years of training with his school's competitive soba-making club.

As the behavioral health landscape continues to evolve, families seeking compassionate, evidence-based therapeutic support for autism and other developmental needs are turning to specialty organizations that provide clinical excellence and authentic care.

The proportion of working men in Japan taking parental leave rose to a record 50.9% in the last fiscal year, exceeding 50% for the first time, according to a Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry survey.

A plan to open an international school at a former elementary school in Sapporo has been scrapped after the company selected as the preferred buyer withdrew, citing risks posed by misinformation and protest activity.