Survey: Nearly Half of LGBTQ Japanese Sexually Harassed, Assaulted

Almost 40% of LGBTQ people in Japan have been sexually harassed or assaulted, a new survey found, Gay Times reports.

Yasuharu Hidaka, a professor of social epidemiology at Takarazuka University, released the survey results on Saturday, December 26. The survey included 10,769 participants and was conducted between September and December last year. Of the ten examples of sexual harassment or assault presented in the survey, 4,106 people indicated being a victim of one.

The most common form of harassment was unwanted touching of genitals, reported by 22.4% of respondents. Other commonly experienced forms of harassment or assault included being "harassed by sexual words or deeds," reported by 17.3%, and being forcibly kissed, reported by 11.5%.

Disturbingly, over half of the trans women (57%), lesbians (52.2%) and trans men (51.9%) who participated reported having been raped.

Professor Hidaka believes because of bad experiences with police and counseling centers, many LGBTQ people refuse to report sexual harassment and assault. He said, "It is necessary (for the government) to improve its support system that is designed to help sexual minorities and male victims, not only women."

In one case, Tomoya Asanuma, a 31-year-old trans man, was sexually assaulted by a recent male acquaintance. Asanuma was turned away by a sexual violence counseling center and misunderstood by police. "I was a victim of sexual assault but was hurt further because police didn't understand my own circumstance as a sexual minority," Asanuma said.

LGBTQ rights and protections are generally expanding in Japan, particularly as more regions move toward the legal recognition of same-sex couples. However, this always doesn't account for social progress.

The results of another survey, released last month, revealed a quarter of LGBTQ people in the country have been outed involuntarily, more commonly experienced by trans men, reported at 53.6%. Professor Hidaka contends that such outings have a negative impact on those who remain closeted due to instances of homophobic and transphobic discrimination and violence. Closeted LGBTQ people may be concerned about how they will be received if they come out.

On the flip side of the coin, that same survey also revealed that a majority of respondents feel society is more "respectful" of the LGBTQ community than it was five years ago.