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Japan - February 2024
Japanese court approves first gender change without surgery
On 7 February, a Japanese court in Okayama approved a transgender man’s request to change his legal gender without first undergoing sterilization. The precedent-setting ruling comes after landmark decision by the Supreme Court in October 2023, which deemed the sterilization requirement unconstitutional. LGBTQIA+ rights advocates celebrated the verdict as an important advancement for transgender rights.
Sources: Japan Times, The Guardian, Kyodo News
Primary categories and factors
![Political Equality](https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/themes/custom/gsod/src/assets/sub-attribute-ghost.png)
![Gender Equality](https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/themes/custom/gsod/src/assets/sub-attribute-ghost.png)
Secondary categories and factors
![Judicial Independence](https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/themes/custom/gsod/src/assets/sub-attribute-ghost.png)