Estimation of Sexual and Gender Diversity Among People Aged 15 Years and Older in Japan: A Descriptive Epidemiological Study Using a Nationwide Cross-Sectional Internet Survey.
Evidence on the proportion and characteristics of sexual and gender minorities (SGM) in Japan is limited. We aimed to provide nationally calibrated, descriptive estimates of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) distributions and related socioeconomic and health indicators. We analyzed a nat...
| Published in: | Archives of Sexual Behavior Vol. 55; no. 6; pp. 2791 - 2816 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
| Format: | Article |
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Springer Nature
Jun2026
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=197249209&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 197249209 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 00040002 ASX jtl: Archives of Sexual Behavior issn: 00040002 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jun2026 vid: 55 iid: 6 pid: 237 pub: Springer Nature artinfo: ui: 197249209 10.1007/s10508-026-03515-0 ppf: 2791 ppct: 25 formats: tig: atl: Estimation of Sexual and Gender Diversity Among People Aged 15 Years and Older in Japan: A Descriptive Epidemiological Study Using a Nationwide Cross-Sectional Internet Survey. aug: au: Minami, Tetsuji Inoue, Manami Matsushima, Midori Yoshioka, Takashi Tabuchi, Takahiro affil: https://ror.org/0025ww868 Division of Quality Assurance Programs, Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center Japan, 104-0045, Tokyo, Japan https://ror.org/0025ww868 Division of Prevention, Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center Japan, Tokyo, Japan https://ror.org/02956yf07 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan https://ror.org/02kn6nx58 Health Technology Assessment Unit, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan https://ror.org/04mzk4q39 Institute of Clinical Epidemiology, Showa University, Tokyo, Japan https://ror.org/00zyznv55 Shizuoka Graduate University of Public Health, Shizuoka, Japan https://ror.org/05xvwhv53 Cancer Control Center, Osaka International Cancer Institute, Osaka, Japan https://ror.org/01dq60k83 Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Miyagi, Japan keyword: Descriptive epidemiology Gender identity Japan Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services Sexual minority Sexual orientation Transgender Descriptive epidemiology Gender identity Japan Medical and Health Sciences Public Health and Health Services Sexual minority Sexual orientation Transgender ab: Evidence on the proportion and characteristics of sexual and gender minorities (SGM) in Japan is limited. We aimed to provide nationally calibrated, descriptive estimates of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) distributions and related socioeconomic and health indicators. We analyzed a nationwide web survey conducted in Japan in September–October 2022. SOGI was estimated using a two-step measure of assigned sex at birth and current gender identity, plus a romantic/sexual attraction item for sexual orientation. Gender-diverse (GD) respondents were not reclassified by sexual orientation. We produced population estimates from 27,690 eligible respondents using inverse probability weighting calibrated to the 2019 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions. Among the Japanese population aged 15 years and over, 8.6% were estimated to identify as SGM, namely 4.9% as gay/lesbian, 1.1% as bisexual, 1.0% as asexual, and 1.6% as GD. All measures were self-reported and differences were interpreted as weighted distributions rather than causal effects. SGM respondents were more concentrated in younger groups and less often married or partnered than cisgender heterosexual respondents. We also observed disparities in several socioeconomic and health-related indicators, including household income, employment status, and psychological distress, with mixed directions for smoking and drinking. Patterns varied by assigned sex at birth and differed in part from Western reports. These findings provide nationally calibrated descriptive evidence on SOGI subpopulations in Japan and support routine inclusion of SOGI items in administrative and population surveys. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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