The relationship would be dissolved once the boy reached adulthood (or left the monastery). The older partner, or nenja ( 念者, "lover" or "admirer"), would be a monk, priest or abbot, while the younger partner was assumed to be an acolyte ( 稚児, chigo), who would be a prepubescent or adolescent boy. In the pre- Meiji period, nanshoku (男色) relationships inside Buddhist monasteries were typically pederastic. Homosexuality and same-sex relations have been documented in Japan since ancient times. Ī wakashū (wearing headscarf) sneaks a kiss from a female prostitute behind his patron's back. However, a 2020 survey of over 10,000 LGBT people in Japan found that 38 percent had been harassed or assaulted. Further opinion polls conducted over the following years have found high levels of support for same-sex marriage among the Japanese public, most notably the younger generation. A 2015 opinion poll found that a majority of Japanese supported the legalisation of same-sex marriage. Tokyo Rainbow Pride has been held annually since 2012, with attendance increasing every year.
Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is banned in some cities, including Tokyo. A law allowing transgender individuals to change their legal gender post- sex reassignment surgery and sterilization was passed in 2003. Although many political parties have not openly supported or opposed LGBT rights, there are several openly LGBT politicians in office. A majority of Japanese citizens are reportedly in favor of accepting homosexuality, with a 2019 poll indicating that 68 percent agreed that homosexuality should be accepted by society, while 22 percent disagreed. Japan's culture and major religions do not have a history of hostility towards homosexuality. In March 2021, a district court in Sapporo ruled that the country's non-recognition of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional under the Constitution of Japan, though the court’s ruling has no immediate legal effect. Japan is the only country in the G7 that does not legally recognize same-sex unions in any form. Same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are ineligible for the legal protections available to opposite-sex couples, although since 2015 some cities and prefectures offer symbolic "partnership certificates" to recognise the relationships of same-sex couples.
Same-sex sexual activity was criminalised only briefly in Japan's history between 18, after which a localised version of the Napoleonic Penal Code was adopted with an equal age of consent. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) people in Japan may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. No legal recognition of same-sex relationships on any government level (symbolic partnership certificates offered by some jurisdictions) Sexual orientation protected in some cities, though not nationally Change of legal sex allowed since 2004, following sex reassignment surgery and sterilization