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Paper short abstract

Based on a content analysis of interviews with 16 LGBTQ+ JET teachers who are currently working or have worked in Japanese schools, this paper discusses how their experiences are shaped by the institutional gap between Japan and other countries with established LGBTQ+ rights protection systems.

Paper long abstract

This paper aims to discuss the unique experiences that non-Japanese LGBTQ+ teachers have faced in Japanese schools, based on a content analysis of interviews conducted between 2021 and 2024 with 16 Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme participants who are currently working or have worked in Japanese schools. Since its establishment in 1987, the JET Programme has accepted thousands of college graduates from overseas every year. In addition to its official purpose of promoting the internationalization (kokusaika) of Japan from a grassroots level, the JET Programme has had the unintended consequence of contributing to the creation of spaces in Japanese society for diversity, as many LGBTQ+ individuals and people of color have participated in the program and interacted with local communities. By contrasting the experiences and narratives of those who had worked prior to the introduction of same-sex marriage and trans-inclusive passports in their home countries with those who worked after it, this paper discusses how the experiences of non-Japanese LGBTQ+ JET teachers are shaped by the institutional gap between Japan and other countries where LGBTQ+ rights protection systems have already been introduced.

Our interview analysis shows that LGBTQ+ JET Programme participants, whether or not they openly displayed their sexual and gender identities, played a role in representing 'diversity' in Japanese classrooms, which are usually collective oriented. Partly due to the so-called Collectivism Education (shûdanshugki kyôiku), which was spread nationwide by the Japanese Teachers' Union in post-war Japan, Japanese schools still focus on group activities that aim to create a homogeneous 'we'-feeling. In this context, some Japanese school staff reacted overly sensitively to JET Programme Participants’ passports with “X” in the sex category and caused unnecessary confusion. In other cases, however, they were regarded as “experts” of sexual minority issues, to whom one should contact if one has questions about sexual minorities.