Japan - September 2025

On 19 September, the Sapporo Family Court ruled that the legal requirement for transgender individuals to undergo sex reassignment surgery in order to change their legal gender is unconstitutional. The ruling builds on a precedent set by a Supreme Court decision in 2023, which also declared sterilization to be unconstitutional, but left the requirement for altering one’s physical appearance unresolved. The new ruling goes a step further by declaring that requiring transgender individuals to undergo hormone treatment to change their appearance is also a violation of their rights. LGBTQIA+ rights advocates say the ruling represents a significant step forward in the fight for legal gender recognition in Japan.

Sources: Human Rights Watch, Japan Times, The Asahi Shimbun, International IDEA