Queer Japan from the Pacific War to the Internet Age

by Mark McLelland

Scholarship on Japan has recently broadened to include minority perspectives on communities from marginal workers to those whose sexuality has long been overlooked. This volume, with its combination of fieldwork in the gay and lesbian communities and the use of historical sources such as journals and documents, breaks important new ground in this field. It examines gay life in the Japanese Pacific War, addresses transgender and lesbian as well as gay issues, examines the interface of queer society with the U.S. occupation and the international community, contests major interpretations of contemporary queer society, and introduces readers to the development of lesbian, transgender, and gay communities in postwar Japan. Queer Japan from the Pacific Age to the Internet Age provides a historical outline of the development of sexual-minority identity categories and community formation through a detailed analysis of both niche and mainstream publications, including magazines, newspapers, biographies, memoirs, and Internet sites. The material is also augmented with interview data from individuals who have had a long association with Japan's queer cultures.Including a wealth of images from the "perverse press," this book will appeal to students and general readers interested in modern and contemporary Japan and in gender studies and sexuality.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Queer, Japan, LGBT, Japanese Literature, Sexuality

246 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting and informative read, covering a broad swath of the "queer history" it purports to detail. Because of its broadness (though not, I must caution, it's lack of detail, necessarily), I might even deem it an excellent starting point for understanding/scholarship of post-war queer Japan. That said, I was quite disappointed with its lack of history and information regarding lesbians, FTM transgenders, and other "female-originating" sexualities, identities, etc. This was obviously due in large part to the lack of historical, textual information with which to draw from, but especially in dealing with more recent decades, a greater emphasis seemed appropriate.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully informative academic text that covers the history of the queer subculture in Japan from the 1930s to the early 2000s. It tracks the way Japan's queer culture and categories developed in a way that is very distinct from Euro/American LGBT culture using sources like the numerous magazines that were written by and for queer people from the early 1950s onwards. It's also broad ranging, doing its best to cover lesbian and trans lives as well as gay (male) culture despite (particularly in the case of lesbians) a relative lack of sources. It left me wanting to do even deeper dives into each of the distinct eras covered.

The chapters are:
1) Heteronormativity on the Road to War
2) Japan's Postward Perverse Culture
3) Gay Boys, Blue Boys and Brother Girls
4) The Development of a Homo Subculture
5) Toward a Lesbian and Gay Consciousness
6) Transgender Lives

[yu27 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is a little dry but a great educational book for anyone interested in the construction and formation of LGBT identity in Japan throughout history. Provides a good historical overview from the pre-war era to modern Japan. Some terms may be considered outdated in the present, however can be over looked due to the time period this book was published in. Focusses more on homosexual/gay community, however also discusses lesbian and transgender communities as well.

tldr: not mind blowing or provocative but provides a good historical context to the present.

[Melos Han-Tani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of the history of LGBTQ+ subcultures and organizing in Japan from pre WW2 to the early 2000s. Was interesting to find out how much Japan's fascist rise in the early1900s led to an enforcement of heteronormativity but increased homosocial circumstances (women in war factories, men in armies), which were fertile ground for gay relationships.

Also interesting to see how Japan was more progressive than the USA in some ways thanks to the lack of religious doctrine in Japan influencing public policy on LGBTQ+ issues.

[Virgowriter (Brad Windhauser) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lot of useful information. Some of it is dated—transgendered used, for example, but worthwhile insight into Japanese culture.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Che parto