Japan's Transgender Community

[Shana A]

Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Japan's Transgender Community
Posted by Monica Roberts at 1:04 PM

http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2009/02/japans-transgender-community.html

Japan is a giant in terms of its economic, technological, industrial, and medical prowess, but when it comes to treating transgender people lagged behind the rest of the world. The first sex reassignment surgery in Japan (for an F to M) didn't take place until 1998 and was followed up by the first M to F surgery a year later.

If you're an anime fan there are numerous titles that have transgender characters such as my fave series You're Under Arrest which features transgender Tokyo police officer Aoi Futaba. But unfortunately real life transgender people in Japan have been reluctantly hiding in the shadows in a culture that prizes conformity.