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This book offers a comprehensive exploration of the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals in Japan, framed through the central concept of precarious visibility. While the COVID-19 pandemic serves as a pivotal case study, the scope of this work extends beyond that moment to examine how legal precarity, entrenched cultural expectations, and pervasive social stigma shape queer lives in Japan and abroad. Drawing on rich first-person narratives and qualitative analysis, the book illuminates the challenges and resilience of this diverse community.Key themes include healthcare access, mental health, family and workplace dynamics, migration and travel restrictions, and the contested politics of media representation and activism. By centering voices often overlooked even within LGBTQ+ research, the book highlights both the vulnerabilities and adaptive strategies of queer individuals navigating social marginalization. Distinctive in its integration of domestic and diasporic perspectives, the book is relevant to students an scholars in LGBTQ+ studies, Japanese studies, and global queer scholarship. It demonstrates how moments of crisis, such as the pandemic, expose deeper structural inequalities while also prompting new forms of solidarity and resistance.
List of contents
Introduction LGBTQ Lives in Japan During the Pandemic.- Background on Japans LGBTQ legal and social climate.- The studys methodology and ethical considerations.- Distinction from prior research.- Defining the Community Identity Intersectionality and Representation.- Gender and sexual identity beyond traditional labels.- The influence of English language terminology and Western discourses.- Racial and ethnic diversity within the Japanese LGBTQ community.- The Pandemics Social Impact Isolation Work and Family Dynamics.- Social distancing and its effects on LGBTQ relationships.- Experiences of discrimination and lack of legal protections in workplaces.- Family rejection forced cohabitation and domestic tensions.- Healthcare and Mental Health Barriers to Care.- Access to hormone therapy and gender affirming care.- Experiences with COVID 19 testing and vaccination.- The intersection of LGBTQ identity and mental health struggles.- Transnational Experiences Migration Travel Bans and Legal Challenges.- LGBTQ migrants and Japans border restrictions.- Japans same sex marriage bans and their impact on binational couples.- Experiences of discrimination and resilience abroad.- Legal and Political Dimensions Rights Representation and Resistance.- Pandemicera policymaking and its exclusion of LGBTQ needs.- Critiques of Japanese LGBTQ activism and government inaction.- Grassroots resilience and community led initiatives.- Conclusion Lessons from the Pandemic and Future Directions.- How the pandemic shaped LGBTQ visibility in Japan.- Policy recommendations for better LGBTQ inclusion.- Implications for future queer studies research.
About the author
Masami Tamagawa, PhD, is Senior Teaching Professor of Japanese at Skidmore College (USA). His research examines gender, sexuality, migration, and media in contemporary Japan, with a focus on the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ communities. He is the author of The Japanese LGBTQ+ Community in the World (Routledge, 2022) and the forthcoming Queer Intimacies and Cultural Dissent in Japanese Life: Quiet Subversion (Routledge). His scholarship has appeared in the Journal of GLBT Family Studies, Sexuality & Culture, and Sage Research Methods. His recent contributions also include the chapter "Crossing Borders, Redefining Identities: Japanese LGBTQ+ Migration to Australia," in Japanese Migrations to Australia: Transformation and Heterogeneity (Routledge, forthcoming).
Summary
This book offers a comprehensive exploration of the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals in Japan, framed through the central concept of precarious visibility. While the COVID-19 pandemic serves as a pivotal case study, the scope of this work extends beyond that moment to examine how legal precarity, entrenched cultural expectations, and pervasive social stigma shape queer lives in Japan and abroad. Drawing on rich first-person narratives and qualitative analysis, the book illuminates the challenges and resilience of this diverse community.Key themes include healthcare access, mental health, family and workplace dynamics, migration and travel restrictions, and the contested politics of media representation and activism. By centering voices often overlooked even within LGBTQ+ research, the book highlights both the vulnerabilities and adaptive strategies of queer individuals navigating social marginalization. Distinctive in its integration of domestic and diasporic perspectives, the book is relevant to students an scholars in LGBTQ+ studies, Japanese studies, and global queer scholarship. It demonstrates how moments of crisis, such as the pandemic, expose deeper structural inequalities while also prompting new forms of solidarity and resistance.
