It has been revealed that six schools accept transgender female students as eligible for admission. It has also been discovered that one university will now accept transgender women, while 16 others are considering doing so. The number of women’s universities taking a positive stance towards accepting them has been gradually increasing since 2020 academic year.
The six universities are: Ochanomizu University (Tokyo) and Nara Women’s University among national universities; and Miyagi Gakuin University, Notre Dame Seishin Women’s University (Okayama), Japan Women’s University (Tokyo) and Tsuda College (Tokyo) among private universities.
The earliest commencement dates for accepting transgender students were in academic year 2020 for Ochanomizu University and Nara Women’s University. Fukuoka Women’s University, a public university, is also preparing to accept them from academic year 2029.
Of the 16 universities considering acceptance, six expressed a sense of necessity and stated they were conducting full-scale deliberations. Meanwhile, five of the 16 institutions cited the need for time to foster understanding among current students and staff regarding transgender women as the reason they had not yet recognized their eligibility for admission.
Seventeen universities stated they would not consider accepting transgender students. The majority cited the lack of progress in preparing the necessary environment, such as installing multi-purpose toilets, as the reason.
A representative from a women’s university in western Japan, who previously considered admitting transgender students stated that Japan lacks sufficient legal frameworks concerning sexual minorities, including transgender individuals, and societal debate on the matter remains underdeveloped. Gaining the understanding of students and their guardians requires considerable time and careful dialogue.
