About Us

Thank you for visiting Gay Japan News. This is a short explanation of who we are and what we are doing. We would love to hear from you, so please don't hesitate to contact us at any time.

Gay Japan News

This is the first and only daily news service that specializes in LGBT centered news stories from around the world in the Japanese language.

Until now, there has been a great void in the realm of LGBT news in Japan. The mainstream media refuses to cover it and the language barrier limits what information can come from abroad.

Since its launch in February, 2005, GJN's readership has consistently grown. Currently this site receives more than 100,000 hits per day and is expanding daily.

We receive quite a lot of feedback from our readers. Along with the thanks and words of encouragement, there is one consistent refrain that we hear over and over again: “I had no idea that this was going on around the world.”

Across the board, our readers say that they are shocked to learn that the struggle for acceptance, rights and justice is being waged with varying degrees of success in every corner of the globe. Perhaps one reader put it best when he said, “it is heartening to know that we are not alone.”

GJN is a free service that is provided by the Non-Profit Organization, Equality.

Equality

Equality is an international human rights organization that is currently in the process of registering with the Japanese Federal Government. We expect to be a legally recognized NPO by late 2007.

Our mission in Japan is to expand the legal rights and protections afforded by the government to its LGBT citizens.

Our first step is to educate Japanese people about the advances and abuses that are occurring in the world of homosexual civil rights around the globe. That is the purpose behind the website, GayJapanNews.com.

Next, we hope to organize a large number of Japanese citizens who believe in advancing homosexual rights. While this community will naturally include homosexuals, we are devoted to fostering a much larger, supportive community of non-homosexual, but gay-friendly, people. It is this wide-ranging, open-minded community that will lend strength to our cause.

In an ideal world, we could successfully employ the logical claims of fairness and equal rights. However, we must be realistic. There are deeply entrenched biases and beliefs that stand opposed to acceptance and equality. Because of this, we hope to mobilize this large, supportive community to flex its economic muscle, which, for better or for worse, is usually stronger than moral claims when it comes to legislative changes. This is especially important when one considers that Japan is the second largest economy in the world, and it is one of the wealthiest groups of international tourists that exist today. This is a force that cannot be ignored.

If anything, we realize that this road is a long one. But, as with any long and difficult journey, it is made bearable by one's companions. If you, as an individual, or as the representative of a community group, company, corporation, NPO, or governmental body, feel that we could be stronger and more successful by working together, please contact us.

Make no mistake about it, power lies in tenacity, fidelity, and cooperation.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely yours,

Hiroshi and Tom
Directors, Equality