Yoshiyuki IIMURA
The following notes are provided to help readers outside Japan understand the social and institutional background of this issue.
There are certain circumstances surrounding this case that may be hard to understand for anyone who has never lived in Japan. In particular, it is important to explain the conditions of Japan’s provincial private universities and what it means to grow up as an LGBTQ+ person in Japanese society.
I used to believe that this reality could never be understood without explaining the whole context—something that requires too many words and more patience than anyone should be asked to give. And the closer someone was to me, the more I felt that our limited time together should be spent on things far more precious than trying to explain this painful truth.
But now, I need you to understand this context more than anything. So here, I will explain it as simply and clearly as I can, while still giving it the honesty and care it deserves.
This reality may seem absurd—or even unbelievable—to those born and raised outside Japan. Yet anyone familiar with contemporary Japan will recognize it as real, and there is plenty of objective evidence about these systems and how they actually work.