A Homossexualidade 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?
ing that this subject is quite delicate, unfortunately due to lack of knowledge I have already used and words that made some furious. I just did a lot of research on the subject in Japan to bring you the information, 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 it. Unfortunately respect today has died in some places.
I see a lot of unnecessary conflict between gays and religious individuals; the Bible is clear regarding homosexuality, there’s 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’s even hypocrisy, since the same biblical text that condemns homosexuality also condemns premarital sex and adultery, practices quite common among the general population, and I don’t see religious individuals with prejudice against that. But that’s not the theme of the article [Voltando...] What is the opinion of Buddhism and Shintoism on this subject? What do the religions that prevail in Japan think about it? Or even Christians in Japan? These are some of the things we will address in this long article.
Table of Contents
What does religion in Japan think?
There are no explicit religious prohibitions against homosexuality in traditional Japanese religion. The first religion of Japan is Shinto, there are no records that approve or condemn the practice; in fact, Shinto is quite open and does not dictate how sexual behavior or life should be. In Shinto, sex precedes the birth of a nation and its people; even the origin of Japan according to Shinto came from a sexual relationship.
In Buddhism, sex is linked to desire; in the past, no practicing Buddhist, especially monks and priests, should engage in any form of conduct involving sex, whether heterosexual or homosexual. Historically, Buddhism considered heterosexual activity more offensive, as women were viewed as inherently contaminating. In fact, there are many historical s 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 samurai made vows of commitment and created a strong bond with their apprentices. Although it was not about sex, historical records clearly show homosexual relationships among samurai, 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 occurred 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 the homosexual culture in Japan, the Western influence ended up hiding in a way this acceptance that Japan had in the past
How does Japan view the Homosexuality?
Although acceptance is higher than in other countries, Westernization has created a bit of prejudice in Japanese society in general. Japan is much more open to behavior than practice. We can see this in the sub-cultures of 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 not yet allowed in all of Japan, only in Shibuya district, Tokyo (2017), but Japan accepts foreign gay marriage. Sexual orientation is not protected under national civil rights laws, which means that LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) Japanese have no legal recourse when facing such discrimination in areas such as employment, education, housing, healthcare and banking..
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 the parameters of society are subject to criticism, social exclusion, and discrimination. Not because a person is homosexual, but simply because they are different. This is quite strange, because Japan is known for having some of the most unique and different people in the world, be it 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 relate some aspects of homosexual prejudice to 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 only about historical records, monks and samurai, even within art, Kabuki Theater stands out with men performing dramatic portrayals of women, with dance and music.
Currently in anime and mangas, we always find characters that appear to be homosexual, often this is not specified exactly due to relationships being treated slowly in the animes. Additionally, there are several works of mangas, novels, and homosexual anime that stand out in Japan and worldwide such as Yaoi and Yuri.
Frequently, anime characters appear dressed as women, both for comedic relief and to showcase a subculture of people who enjoy dressing as women, not necessarily those attracted to the same sex. These characters are generally called trap and femboy.
Some corporate positions in Japan are preferable to married people, which makes most Japanese people try to get married before age 30. This is another difficulty gay men may face when trying to get a high position in a particular 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 matter?
Is there homophobia in Japan?
Although the article clearly answers this question talking in detail about how Japan views homosexuality, I also want to leave a video of my friend Caipira in Japan that addresses a little bit of this subject:
