Paper short abstract:

This presentation introduces recent examples of female-to-female intimacy in Japanese TV-Series and places them in context with earlier representations of lesbian and queer desire in this medium.

Paper long abstract:

In 2015 Fuji TV announced the terebi dorama "Transit Girls", supposedly the first TV series in Japan to centre on a lesbian relationship. In the same year, the widely popular TV drama Gisō no fūfu (Fake couple) with a gay male main character and lesbian side character also aired on Fuji TV. The new/changed visibility of queer lives accomplished by the introduction of stories centred on lesbian/gay or bisexual characters is, however, not unilaterally perceived as a positive trend in queer communities. On the one hand, it may help some individuals identifying as LGBT*IQ*A or questioning their sexuality to see queer characters entering mainstream media. On the other hand, where few representations of non-heteronormative relationships or characters are accessible, those stand in danger of reinforcing stereotypes and biases against LGBT*IQ*A identified people. Also, certain representations of queer topics may even be likely to stabilize norms of gender and sexuality.

Lesbian characters and stories centred on female-to-female intimacy are not yet a regular theme in Japanese TV series, but their number appears to be rising. It is important, however, to understand this trend not only as a recent phenomenon influenced by societal changes, such as the symbolic recognition of same-sex partnerships in some Japanese cities, but to look back at the history of Japanese TV where representations of lesbian desire can be found as early as the 1960s. In this paper, I present an analysis of a number of recent Japanese TV series featuring lesbian characters and place them in context with earlier representations of queer desire in this medium.

How did representations of characters identified as lesbians change? How are these changes perceived in queer communities in Japan? By addressing these questions, I hope to be able to point out what is new about the representation of female-to-female intimacy in recent examples of Japanese TV series in comparison to earlier representations of queer characters and stories with a queer subtext - and to show how the new images can be approached from the point of view of queer theory.