While the number of foreign persons that live in Japan is close to 3 million, publicly available information on the social and legal status of LGBTQ rights in Japan is very limited. Lawyers for LGBT and Allies Network (LLAN) will hold a seminar designed to provide the audience with up-to-date information on LGBTQ rights in Japan as well as an introduction to resources available in English. The event is co-sponsored by Shibuya City, a city with the aim to be a mature international city under its motto “Shibuya―turning difference into strength”, and Robert Walters Japan – a leading global recruitment consultancy based in Shibuya and a standard-bearer for equality in the recruiting industry.
Leading experts on the topic will cover issues on marriage, family, visa and issues faced by transgender people in Japan.
・Date and time Saturday, November 14, 2020 6pm to 8pm (registration starts at 5:45pm)
・Venue Shibuya gender equality, diversity center <iris> 8th Floor, Shibuya Cultural Center Owada, 23-21 Sakuragaokacho (Please note, unfortunately we can no longer accept applications for attendance in person due to limited capacity.)
・The event is available online (see below)- if you wish to attend the event, please apply from HERE
・Please submit any questions and requests to info@llanjapan.org
・The event will be broadcasted online through the YouTube channel of Shibuya Gender Equality, Diversity Center (IRIS). The event will also be recorded for later viewing.
・Sponsor：Lawyers for LGBT and Allies Network (LLAN) – llanjapan.org
・Co-sponsored by Shibuya City and Robert Walters Japan
Lecturers
Movement toward Marriage Equality in Japan
Kato Takeharu, Lawyer
Takeharu Kato has been a practicing lawyer at Hokkaido Godo Law Office in Sapporo since 2004. Besides dealing with general civil cases, Mr. Kato is engaged in activities supporting the LGBT community. He is a member of the legal team of “Freedom to Marry for All” lawsuit and a board member of Marriage For All Japan, which is a campaign organization working for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Japan. Presentation Slides
Alexander Dmitrenko, Co-Chair, LLAN
Alexander Dmitrenko is a qualified law practitioner in the Russian Federation, State of New York, and England & Wales. He is one of the key contributors of the Viewpoint on Marriage Equality in Japan issued by American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) in 2018. Presentation Slides
Immigration status and same sex couples
Suzuki Masako
Co-representative of Lawyers Network for Foreigners, Board member of the International Human Rights Law Association
Suzuki Masako is an expert of immigration cases and handling LGBT and residency issues. Presentation Slides
Workplace issues
Sugano Yuri, Director, LLAN
Yuri Sugano is a partner at Nishimura & Asahi and specializes in labor law matters.
She is one of a leading partner of the firm’s D&I Promotion Council and has contributed various actions promoting D&I, including an endorsement of the ACCJ’s Viewpoint on Marriage Equality in 2020 Presentation Slides
Issues faced by transgender people
Fujita Naosuke, Co-Chair, LLAN
Naosuke’s engagement began in 2015 when his colleague came out at work which lead to the co-founding of LLAN in 2016 with other like-minded private and corporate lawyers. In addition to his engagement with LLAN, he teaches “LGBT, Law and Society” at Keio Law School. He is currently corporate counsel at a Japanese financial institution having spent 33 years with Japanese and US law firms and a foreign financial institution. Presentation Slides
Mai
Mai, a native of Berkeley, California, has lived overseas since 1984. She earned an MBA at University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business and currently heads the Bilingual Communications Section at Mori Building Co., Ltd. Mai started living full-time as a woman in her private life in 2015 and within the company and everywhere else in 2016.
Support by local municipalities
Furuichi Kei, Member, LLAN
Furuichi Kei is a lawyer from Mori Hamada Matsumoto, where he is a core member of the firm’s D&I Promotion Task Force and engages in LGBT support activities. He is one of the members of Shibuya City Partnership certificate manual translation project. Presentation Slides
