Major Japanese companies turn their eyes to LGBT consumers

1 in 13....so close to 10% of the population? I haven't googled it or anything, but that number seems high, and it is one of the factors included in the ever decreasing child-birth rate.

Not saying that these couples wont raise, or give birth to children, but the odds are pretty high that they would be adopting, in the case of male couples at least.

1 in 13 are LGBT? That is about 8%. I thought we were a much more exclusive group! Most psychology studies say that 1.6% of any given population is LGBT. That is a little more than 1 in 100. Why does the figure seem to be so high in Japan? What was the study methodology?

Why am I not surprised when there's money to be made that certain companies target a particular group such as 'the gays' with their pink yen, yet simply gloss over the rampant discrimination embedded in a range of Japanese institutions against the LGBTI+ community. These companies now need to pressure the Japanese government to enact marriage equality (for a start). This would then allow my Japanese partner (of 12 years) and I to get married in Australia (which has recently changed the law to allow same-sex marriage) and for that marriage to be recognised in Japan. Having said this, I admit there have been small advances such as the broadcasting of 「弟の夫」on NHK Premium, based on the Tagame Gengoro 'manga' of the same name. BUT whenever I visit Japan, I am suddenly reminded everywhere I go of the strong discourse of heteronormativity. I recently watched an episode of Downtown no Gaki no tsukai ya arahende (April 8th) in which the regulars and a few others were given ¥1000 to spend in a ¥100 shop to dress up as オネエ. Cheap right! In the climax, they all came together and bitched about who was the most beautiful, appropriating all the stereotypes of オネエ. Here we have a group of straight men doing gay-face. Am I surprised at that? Again, not really. It seems par for the course, but オネエ only represent one small part of the diversity within LGBTI+, yet it is the most visible, on TV at least. I've always wanted mainstream gay male Japanese celebrities to come out on TV and demand marriage equality. Hmmm, I can only dream, right?

I for one would like to know the reporters definition of what constitutes a "major" city in their mind.

 Shibuya, Tokyo (2015)

 Setagaya, Tokyo (2015)

 Iga, Mie (2016)

 Takarazuka, Hyōgo (2016)

 Naha, Okinawa (2016)

Sapporo, Hokkaido (2017)

Good for them!

whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth.

assigned?

Theres only two sexes and it is not assigned at birth. What a joke.

@haruka

dont want argue with you or this point.

By beef is with the wording "at birth"

certainly you would agree that our two sexes is biologicaly deteremed way before we come out of our mothers womb.

You don't chose to be LGBT anymore than you chose to be heterosexual.

As for the companies involved, I'm going to be cynical and say they are chasing the money, rather than have suddenly been enlightened.

I have no issue with companies trying to make products that meet customer needs and/or desires, provided they are doing so legally.

Seems like a good thing.

I have a hard time understanding how someone else's sexuality impacts me if I'm not in the relationship. If the people in that relationship are happy, it isn't any of my business.

And they should be targeted for ads and products just like everyone else.

A person's sexual identity is their business and no one else's - unless the manifestation of that identity results in non-consensual acts being forced on someone else.

I think it's great that these companies are starting to see the value of the LGBTI community. If there is a profit to be made, then equality under the law will not be far behind.

Theres only two sexes and it is not assigned at birth. What a joke.

You seem to be confusing biological sex with gender; the two are not the same thing.

Howaitosan spot on

How dare people identify in ways that other people don't agree with. How dare they do sexual things that other people don't agree with.

Don't they understand that you need proper approval from government and people you don't know, to be what you want?

How dare they.

gokai_wo_manekuToday 07:10 am JST

1 in 13 are LGBT? That is about 8%. I thought we were a much more exclusive group! Most psychology studies say that 1.6% of any given population is LGBT.

The recent estimations are around 8% worldwide, nothing specific to Japan.

I am. Oppressing people whose lives have no bearing whatsoever in mind, simply because I find what they do weird, always feels good. How dare they do things differently than I expect.

How dare people identify in ways that other people don't agree with. How dare they do sexual things that other people don't agree with.

I don't think most people have any issue with others identifying in whatever way they wish. I certainly don't. It's the aggressive condemnation and ostracism of people who do not accept this self-identification which many find to be a worrying trend.

What is really striking for me is the lack of media objectivity on the issue. For example, the media are usually very careful to refer to ISIS as the 'so-called' Islamic State, but they do not extend this same detached objectivity to the transgender issue by referring to someone who is legally recognised as a woman (but identifies as a man) as a 'self-identified' man or some similar term. They instead refer to this person simply as a man, which is quite confusing when trying to understand the story. You have to admit that this is a journalistic double standard which seems to be driven largely by ideology, or fear of the outrage mob.

Damn them all to HELL!

Unfair to same-sex couples, they have no choice in sexuality. In Japan, people respect historically gay people in society, homesexuality was not frowned upon unlike West. Western Nations have big opposition to gay people due to Christianity. They can learn a lot from Japan in accepting gay couples, and should also embrace them in advertising as Japan does.

Two friends of mine who are gay came over last week and I served them the same beer as everyone else...did I offend them?

Probably not, unless you were asking questions like these.

Should I have used gay glassware? Should I have provided gay game controllers?

No.

I don't think most people have any issue with others identifying in whatever way they wish. I certainly don't. It's the aggressive condemnation and ostracism of people who do not accept this self-identification which many find to be a worrying trend.

It's not condemnation and ostracism of those who don't accept it, it's of those who would seek to oppress it. People can feel however they want - you can be the most homophobic, racist, misogynistic person you want - if you keep it to yourself. When one starts to try to push those views on to the rest of society though, they become that which you are condemning in the above quote.

You have to admit that this is a journalistic double standard which seems to be driven largely by ideology, or fear of the outrage mob.

I don't. I see it as journalists moving into language that reflects the state of things, whilst some people try to hold on to outdated concepts because they are uncomfortable with the world changing in ways they don't like.

Ahhhh money, and its “power” to change for the good.

These companies are happy to help if they see numbers. Sure, lets tap into a market resource that hasnt been exploited yet.

According to the Dentsu survey, one in every 13 people in this country is a member of the LGBT community. I don’t believe it. The number is way too high. Don’t forget that Dentsuis an advertising company known for altering polll results to suit their clients’ needs.

"Exactly. Damn those people for daring to do something other than what some people consider 'normal'. How dare they."

The record is skipping. Agree with your points but the repetition is tedious.

in consideration of sexual minorities, including transgender people whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth.

That is correct - sexual minorities - that's exactly what they are why would a business cater for such a low percentage of the population when they can make the bulk of their revenue from the majority.

As for "sex assigned" at birth that's misleading the vast majority of humans are born male or female with a very tiny amount born with sex organs.

According to a survey conducted by ad giant Dentsu Inc in 2015, one in every 13 people is estimated to be a member of the country's LGBT community.

that's around 8 percent of the population when the average figure in most developed nations is around 2 percent something doesn't ring true about those figures.

It's the aggressive condemnation and ostracism of people who do not accept this self-identification which many find to be a worrying trend.

Sorry, but people who are intolerant of gender identity are acting out of bigotry. And if you behave in a bigoted way, then you ought to expect to be aggressively called out for it. Remember - there is no such thing as tolerance of intolerance. Whether you agree or not, this is a thing that exists and you no more get to decide whether it is acceptable any more than you get to decide whether a particular skin color is acceptable.

For all of those who are saying that "the number is too high", Dentsu made an online survey, and according to the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles in the UK, online surveys about sexual orientation and gender identity always show higher numbers than face to face or telephone surveys.

One of the main problems with trying to count the number of LGBT people in a country is that a lot of people are closeted, so online surveying is believed to be more accurate in these instances.

Not to mention that the way the questions are presented is also important. A lot of people do not identify as "gay" or "bisexual", but they still have relationships with persons of the same gender, so it's important to present questions that do not make use of those labels, and focuses more on specifics.

When surveys are done like that, and also online, the numbers are actually not that far off from other similar surveys.

I actually envy gay people sometimes, because their relationships seem much more harmonious. Rather than the he-said-she-said back and forth and “you’re not attuned to my emotional needs” headaches, just two bros or GFs who also happen to be romantic partners. Just seems easier from a 3rd party view.

Give the LGBT equal rights by all means. It has nothing to do with low birth rate. These people would have never procreated anyways. Let them equally experience the drudgery of meeting in laws and your spouses’ friends who mentally rate you and who you have no interest in. Let them fight over what TV show to watch and bitch at each other for coming home late when dinner was prepared at 7, and explain why they couldn’t even send a quick text....

Well done Sapporo, but this should not be a local issue, the Japanese Government should legislate that ALL registries throughout Japan should recognise these marriages.

Just watched some of the Pride parade in Omotesando, and it was all corporate advertising. All the major banks and foreign companies with slogans lending support to the LGBTQ community. But I feel that is all they are are slogans to make themselves feel and look good.

1 in 13....so close to 10% of the population? I haven't googled it or anything, but that number seems high, and it is one of the factors included in the ever decreasing child-birth rate.

The only way LGBTQ individuals affect the birth rate is when they STOP entering into sham "straight" marriages and STOP having babies as part of those sham marriages, or when same-sex couples are allowed to have children (more kids!) through means other than adoption. Otherwise the declining birth rate is entirely the responsibility of the other 90%+ of the population (and government policy that fails to come up with any viable solutions). This tripe about an "increase" in gays causing a "decrease" in births has been repeated too often.

Jansob1 I don't think that you need to do any thing differently, just treat them like human beings.

All the major banks and foreign companies with slogans lending support to the LGBTQ community.

I'll believe the banks are sincere in their support when they start offering mortgages to same-sex couples.

this is a thing that exists and you no more get to decide whether it is acceptable any more than you get to decide whether a particular skin color is acceptable.

Wishful thinking. Of course people can decide what they will and won't accept, that's how societies are defined. If you do find a society where everything is accepted, I don't think you would like it very much. You can make a case that they should accept this or that, but you cannot deny that acceptability will always be defined by society.

One of the main problems with trying to count the number of LGBT people in a country is that a lot of people are closeted, so online surveying is believed to be more accurate in these instances.

Not to mention that the way the questions are presented is also important. A lot of people do not identify as "gay" or "bisexual", but they still have relationships with persons of the same gender,

"Closeted" may simply mean they do not wish to be identified by their sexual or romantic preferences. Not that they are hiding, but that they don't wish to be tagged with such a narrowly descriptive term about a particular aspect of their life. I suspect a good number of the one-in-thirteen fall into this category. And that means they are already probably being sufficiently catered to.

M3, I agree.

strangerland, girl_in_tokyo,

this is the problem with the liberal left - you tell us people are entitled to opinions that are not in agreement with the PC liberal left agenda AS LONG As THEY DONT EXPRESS THEM. The new fascism.

"Closeted" may simply mean they do not wish to be identified by their sexual or romantic preferences.

And there are also those who are generally asexual - not interested in sex at all (or to a very small degree), and therefore are neither heterosexual nor homosexual.

Strangerland,

take a deep breath, read my post again and please tell me where/how you can possibly construe what you have from what I said.

I (Gaikoku-jin) was approached by a Japanese job consultant saying we welcome LGBT, made me crack up.Its a great beginning for Japan to embrace this reality.But hope this is from heart not due to sinking revenues. LGBT are often most loyal customers.

Girl_in-tokyo, existence does not automatically bestow legitimacy. Please take the time to think it through.

Does it really matter if there is a 1% or 4% or 8% market for LGBT stuff? 1% is still a huge market and it should be served.

Does this mean no more posters of busty girls in bikinis holding jugs of draft beer on the beach? Every semi-run down izakaya seems to have them on the wall.

I hope LGBT don't like exaggerated gulping noises on beer ads on TV. They really wind me up.

take a deep breath, read my post again and please tell me where/how you can possibly construe what you have from what I said.

Sure. The content of your post was that the Liberal left is in the wrong for criticism of people in an attempt to silence them for speaking their mind. The tone of your post, combined with the declaration of fascism at the end and the capital letters interjected, were criticizing the left in an attempt to silence them from speaking their minds. Therefore any criticism you made towards them, must also be equally applied as criticism of you, since you are doing exactly that which you are condemning.

@ LandOfTheLostToday  

Listen to this one preach to us about the Western world. Have you ever stepped out of Japan in your life. The number of Christians have been dwindling since the age of the internet. Since then, LGBT have already become a normal integrated part of society in many Western countries. 

Japan 'used' to have an open gay culture, until it adopted some of our negative ideologies in the modern Era.

So what are you actually saying in the last sentence? :)

Wrong again, strangerland. But thats ok. Waste of time.

Unfair to same-sex couples, they have no choice in sexuality.

Do hetero people just wake up one day and decide their sexuality?

Watch the kabuki play "Aakurahime Azumabunsho"『桜姫東文章』（さくらひめあずまぶんしょう） (Cherry Blossem Princes). A man becomes a munk after his love dies, but he discovered that she has come back as a young boy (he has the same tattoo that he and his love had tattoed on them), and they became lovers. Preferably watch a version with Tamasaburo.

LandoftheLost, youre being very free with your terminology. By 'openly homosexual' you are referring to the very popular practice among the samurai class and above of having sex with little boys. If it was 'western influence' that did away with this practice then I think we should all be grateful.

commanteerMay 6  05:20 pm JST

If you do find a society where everything is accepted, I don't think you would like it very much.

That is what is known as a "Slippery Slope" fallacy; if we allow people to do X, they will want to do X,Y & Z. It's rubbish. Accepting LGBTI relationships as normal has had NO effect whatsoever on any country on Earth that has done it - except to make conservatives froth at the mouth. I challenge you, comanteerMay6, to find just ONE country where the recognition of Same-Sex Marriage has had any negative impact on society at all.

"Closeted" may simply mean they do not wish to be identified by their sexual or romantic preferences. Not that they are hiding, but that they don't wish to be tagged with such a narrowly descriptive term about a particular aspect of their life. I suspect a good number of the one-in-thirteen fall into this category. And that means they are already probably being sufficiently catered to.

Wrong; it DOES mean that they are hiding. "Closeted" in the LGBTI world means exactly that - hiding in the closet for fear of being exposed - and it ONLY happens in countries where being identified as homosexual can have deeply negative consequences. There is a case before the Japanese courts right now where a man whose decades-long-term male partner died is having to fight his partner's sister just to be able to claim the property they shared. How many survivors of a heterosexual marriage would have to face something like that after the tragedy of losing their wife or husband? THAT is why LGBTI people in Japan hide themselves; they are discriminated against by the judiciary, the parliament, and society.

How many parents in Japan would readily and happily accept having a LGBTI child? Let me point out to you that no LGBTI parents have ever disowned any of their children for being straight. In this matter, Japan needs to wake up to the fact that we now live in the 21st Century - not the 19th.

According to the Dentsu survey, one in every 13 people in this country is a member of the LGBT community. I don’t believe it. The number is way too high. 

Actually, Kinsey showed in 1956 that about 10% of the male population (of the US) engaged in homosexual activity throughout their adult lives, so these figures seem pretty accurate. As others have pointed out, the question is not so much how many people are LGBTI, but how many are willing to publicly identify themselves as LGBTI; a society'e attitude can make a huge difference to those figures.

Furthermore, what difference does it make how big or small a minority is? Does access to equal Human Rights only apply to minorities above a certain number? Surely ALL law-abiding, tax-paying citizens of a free democracy should have the same Civil and Human Rights as everyone else?

55 comments. By no means a new record for Japan Today, but totally-gay gokai glad to see that there is so much interest in the issue.

Accepting LGBTI relationships as normal has had NO effect whatsoever on any country on Earth that has done it 

Societal changes take decades to manifest, so you really have no point here yet.

Wrong; it DOES mean that they are hiding. "Closeted" in the LGBTI world means exactly that

You seem to misunderstand my usage of quotation marks. I put closeted in quotes because it was used above to describe those who were less than open about that aspect of their lives. Neither you nor I can know why they keep that information to themselves, though you seem to think you somehow know. Yes, LGBT activists use "closeted" in a negative way, as though people are hiding from oppression. That serves their narrow political interests. I am simply saying that likely many of those called closeted simply choose to keep their private life private, not because of fear of oppression, but because they don't wish to be identified primarily in that way.

@ LandOfTheLost

Interesting & thanks for that. It seems that some readers here don't share your explanation :)

What's the difference? Here in America there's bigots who don't want to service to LGBT people. If I ran a business, I wouldn't care. I wouldn't discriminate.

Oh great, so now if I go buy some form of cosmetic within a drug store I'm going to be labelled LGBT.

As for the acceptance of LGBT peoples, I think that any form of discrimination should be preventable but forcing me to agree to it, is another matter. There's an interesting case going on in the UK about a Bakery that refused to write upon a Cake "Support LGBT Rights" under the grounds that the message was against their own Religious beliefs - they didn't disagree with the cake, nor the person, just the message. (Though in this case, the person ordering the cake was a LGBT Rights activist).

If we all Just let people get on with their own lives, didn't interfere with others or force them to think like you, then the World would probably be quite a different place.

Societal changes take decades to manifest, so you really have no point here yet.

Indeed they do - which is why I point to countries like The Netherlands and Belgium, where Same-Sex Marriage has been legal since 2001 and 2003 respectively. More than 10 years have passed and there have been no negative consequences at all. How long do you think we should have to wait? 20 years? 50 years?

Or is the truth really that there is no amount of time that would convince you, since your objection to Same-Sex Marriage is not rational, but emotional?

Neither you nor I can know why they keep that information to themselves, though you seem to think you somehow know.

I do know because I am Gay myself and old enough (61) to have been a young man when it was still illegal and considered a mental illness in my country. No one - NO ONE - hides such a fundamental part of their nature as who they love because "they don't wish to be identified primarily in that way". They do it out of fear of the repercussions of being open and honest.

I have lived it, so yes - I DO know. You don't.

There's an interesting case going on in the UK about a Bakery that refused to write upon a Cake "Support LGBT Rights" under the grounds that the message was against their own Religious beliefs - they didn't disagree with the cake, nor the person, just the message.

The point is, how far should professionals be allowed to go with refusing to provide a service to LGBTI people? A cake may seem trivial, but what about other services?

There is a case in the US where a doctor refused to treat the child of a Lesbian couple because it was "against her sincerely held religious beliefs". It's completely legal to do so where she lives. So what happens when a Christian or Islamic paramedic with "sincerely held religious beliefs" that LGBTI people are an "abomination to God" attends a car crash and finds out the driver is Gay? Or even thinks they might be. Should they be allowed to refuse them service? If not, why not?

And what about White Supremacists? They have "sincerely held beliefs" that white people should not associate with people of other races. Should they then be able to refuse service to non-whites? Where do you draw the line?

If you're going to allow one form of discrimination to be legal, then what reason can you give for disallowing any other form?

No one - NO ONE - hides such a fundamental part of their nature as who they love because "they don't wish to be identified primarily in that way". They do it out of fear of the repercussions of being open and honest.

I think that's two ways of saying the same thing.

Why even discuss about it. Pay respect to people as they pay respect to you.

I read since I was small that about 10% of people were gays. Close to reality when life has been long enough to kbow plenty of people around you.

Please accept discussing the reason for the why to this never-ending story of LGBT while there is no such clear border to this community.

No pro or anti LGBT, we are what we are and world is enough.

If a company wants to hit this niche market, why not in a free and democratic country like Japan !

No one - NO ONE - hides such a fundamental part of their nature as who they love because "they don't wish to be identified primarily in that way". They do it out of fear of the repercussions of being open and honest.

I personally know people who do (me for one), so that's obviously wrong. It's not a dark secret, or any secret at all. I just don't like people making assumptions about me. In this case, assuming that I would be in favor of the rather extreme LGBT platform pushed by activists. Or maybe not, since LGBT numbers like this include everyone who has had a non-hetero sexual experience. Nothing was said about love.

@Howaitosan

The Baker didn't refuse to make the cake, simply refused to put the message upon it. That is completely different from the extreme scenario's that you reported, and which (particularly in the case of the Medics) flies against their reason-etre.

Let's say a person dressed in a full burka came into that Bakery and asked for a Cake with the slogan, "Islamic State Forever! Chop up the infidel" upon it, with a big picture of Donald Trump on the top ? Now would you question the Baker for refusing to write & draw that upon the cake, even though he's willing to provide the cake minus the top bit ?

There needs to be a bit of common sense here.