Japan: Reflections of a bishop on gender identity and other controversies

In an exclusive interview with EWTN News, Bishop Paul Toshihiro Sakai, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Osaka-Takamatsu (Japan) spoke about the dangers of the recent decision of the Supreme Court of Japan regarding “gender identity” and its impact on the Catholic community.

On October 25, 2023, the Japanese justice system declared unconstitutional a national law that forced people suffering from gender dysphoria to undergo a sex change operation to modify it in their identity documents.

The Law on special provisions regarding gender treatment for people with gender identity disorderenacted in 2003, required that a person be over 18 years of age, not be married, not have children, and that their body have “an appearance that resembles the genital area of ​​the body of another gender,” in order to be allowed to change sex legally.

Gender dysphoria can be defined as strong and persistent feelings of identification with another gender and discomfort with one’s own gender and biological sex.

“The episcopal conference has still said practically nothing—in quotes—on the issue of gender because The Catechism already says it well”said Bishop Toshihiro, who is also coordinator of education and communication of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan (CBCJ).

“John Paul II also explains it very well in the theology of the body. And in April, precisely when we were in Rome, visiting ad liminathe Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published the document Infinita divinidad, Infinite divinity”, he commented.

The theology of the body is the set of catechesis that Saint John Paul II delivered during the Wednesday general audiences between 1979 and 1984, as a response to the consequences caused by the sexual revolution of the late 1960s.

“We are now in the process of translating this to study it in our language. In July, we have a meeting of bishops. There we will listen to the translator theologian and analyze the document,” he added.

Regarding the Japanese Christian community and its reaction to this controversial ruling of justice, Bishop Toshihiro specified that Christians are “totally a minority” (barely 400,000 in a population of 120 million) and that “there is no means of communication of the Catholics.”

“So, at the moment, there is no reaction or resonance regarding this decision of the Supreme Court,” added the Japanese prelate.

However, the prelate pointed out the urgent need to educate young people about these issues, and stressed that the episcopate – and each bishop in particular – must work to attend to educational centers, “because in Japan there are hundreds of Catholic schools, from kindergartens to universities.”

The controversy with Abigail Shaire’s book

The book Irreversible damage: The transgender madness that seduces our daughtersby Abigail Shrier —American journalist for The Wall Street Journal— generated furor and heated debates throughout Japan upon announcing its publication in the Asian country.

At the end of 2023, the Kadokawa publishing house announced that it would publish the book translated into Japanese, however, after a wave of protests and pressure from the LGBT community, the publisher decided to cancel the publication.

LGBT spokespersons denounced Kadokawa for giving a platform to a “trans hater” to “inciting discrimination through public relations.” Shrier, for his part, condemned censorship.

Shortly thereafter, another publisher—Sankei Shimbun Publications—announced that it would publish the work in Kadokawa’s place. Despite a new wave of protests, in which some activists threatened to burn down the bookstores where the book was distributed, its publication was achieved in early April.

When asked about this controversy in Japan, Bishop Toshihiro simply stated: “In this regard, there is no national controversy.”

The Catholic Church in Japan and its participation in controversial issues

Given the turbulent current events in Japan regarding culture and family matters, the bishop stated that, for the moment, the Church is not participating in the controversy. Regarding whether the Catholic Church in Japan promotes any program to support people who are exploring their gender and identity, the bishop responded:

“He does it sporadically. In Tokyo there are some Masses for example for those who have this problem, because there is a larger population there. Every month there is a Mass for these people, but it is not public.” And he added: “Those who wish to attend must register. In Osaka there is no such service. In other places I have not heard.”

Finally, he sent a message to his parishioners in light of the social and legal changes that Japan is undergoing: “As Pope Francis says, the Church admits all people because the Lord Jesus Christ died for everyone. So you have to distinguish between the person and the facts. The Catholic Church has its doctrine,” he indicated.

“So we accept everyone, but the facts must always be in accordance with the providence of God, with what Jesus Christ tells us. That must be said,” he concluded.