Few Japanese Universities Have Policies to Support LGBT Students
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Japan Student Services Organization is an independent administrative agency that provides scholarships for Japanese students and support programs for international students. It also surveys support measures implemented by higher education institutions. The organization’s 2019 survey, which received responses from 1,154 institutions, showed that 7.7% of universities, 3.5% of junior colleges, and 0% of technical colleges had schoolwide policies addressing LGBT issues. These figures were far lower than those for other policy items. The breakdown for universities by administrative category was 17.4% for national, 5.4% for public, and 6.6% for private universities.
The most common specific measure in place at universities was “offering use of multipurpose restrooms” (34.5%). Other measures included “offering health examinations individually or at times when other students are not present” (30.1%), and “using preferred name of the individual in class and at the administration office” (26.2%).
Institutions with Measures to Support LGBT Students
| Universities | Junior colleges | Technical colleges | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimize requirement to specify gender | 20.8% | 12.4% | 10.5% |
| Use preferred name/self-identified gender | 19.9% | 9.8% | 5.3% |
| Use preferred name of individual in classes, etc. | 26.2% | 14.0% | 8.8% |
| Offer use of multipurpose restrooms | 34.5% | 17.5% | 17.5% |
| Give sufficient notice pre-enrollment for physical education or extracurricular activities with gender-specific elements | 7.3% | 4.8% | 1.8% |
| Individual treatment regarding use of changing rooms | 16.0% | 9.5% | 8.8% |
| Individual consideration for health examinations | 30.1% | 14.9% | 5.3% |
| Other | 6.1% | 3.5% | 5.3% |
| No response | 43.2% | 63.2% | 68.4% |
Created by Nippon.com based on data from Japan Student Services Organization 2019 Survey.
Over 10% of institutions reported a rise in students seeking advice on LGBT-related matters: 16.6% of universities, 10.8% of junior colleges, and 14% of technical colleges. Some reported a drop in such inquiries (4.7%, 3.8%, and 1.8% respectively) but the majority were not aware of figures: 37.9%, 49.2%, 42.1% respectively.
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)