World of HR: Japan to implement LGBTQIA+ education in workplaces, schools

Japan will introduce education in workplaces and schools to better inform people about the LGBTQIA+ community, according to the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC).

Approximately 10.6% of Japan’s population identifies as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, a 1% increase since 2023, according to a recent Dentsu survey reported by Time Out Tokyo. While the country has some labor statutes protecting LGBTQIA+ workers, there are no national laws protecting the community from discrimination. Marriage equality, for example, does not exist in Japan (the country is expected to rule on it soon), even though nearly seven in 10 respondents to Dentsu’s survey support equality.

The workplace education is part of legislation passed in 2023 that required the development of such programming. It is meant to address any “confusion, anxiety and difficulties in daily life” that the LGBTQ+ community may experience “due to insufficient public understanding,” the program noted, according to ABC.

The program will aim to help increase social understanding and reduce bias and discrimination through leaflets, training videos, and consultation systems, according to Japanese newspaper the Mainichi. It will also call on employers to implement non-discrimination measures for LGBTQIA+ workers.

“Training teachers and employers to be mindful is good,” Yui Oizumi, a queer university student, told ABC. “But at the same time, I think it’s not really going to do much to change the perception of regular everyday people and how they think about queer people.”

The government program was announced just days before Tokyo Pride weekend, which attracted 274,000 people and 200 participating organizations, the Japan Times reported. Large global employers, including Panasonic, Sony, Salesforce, and Deloitte (which notably pulled out of US Pride events since last year), supported this year’s festivities.

HR management company Persol Group had a booth at the event where attendees could share their vision for a future workplace. Those visions included being able to freely speak about LGBTQIA+ issues, Business Insider reported.

“At the core of our group vision is ‘work and smile,’” a spokesperson told Business Insider. “Rather than focusing on any particular person, we envision a future where each and every visitor can realize their own state of ‘working and smiling.’ We position this workshop as one approach to creating such a society.”