The title of this recording is "Hiroyuki Taniguchi". It was recorded in Wellington Town Hall, 101 Wakefield Street, Wellington on the 16th March 2011. Hiroyuki Taniguchi is being interviewed by Gareth Watkins.  Their names are spelt correctly but may appear incorrectly spelt later in the document. The duration of the recording is 13 minutes. A list of correctly spelt content keywords and tags can be found at the end of this document. A brief description of the recording is: In this podcast Hiroyuki Taniguchi from Japan talks about attending the human rights conference. The content in the recording covers the 2010s decade. A brief summary of the recording is: This abstract summarizes a 13-minute interview with Hiroyuki Taniguchi, recorded on March 16, 2011, in Wellington Town Hall, during which Taniguchi discusses the human rights of LGBT individuals in Japan and at the human rights conference. Taniguchi, a legal researcher from Japan, shares observations on the lack of anti-discrimination laws in Japan, specifically those that protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The interview is conducted by Gareth Watkins. Taniguchi mentions that unlike many countries that have begun repealing sodomy laws, Japan never had such laws to begin with, leaving no legal framework to build upon for reform. This creates unique challenges in advancing LGBT rights. Japanese law does not offer specific protections for LGBT individuals and does not recognize them as potential discrimination targets. Consequently, discrimination occurs, especially in rural areas, despite the absence of severe hate crimes. The interview touches upon Taniguchi's activism, which involves lobbying for comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation that includes provisions for sexual orientation and gender identity. However, efforts have not yet been successful. A significant issue highlighted is the lack of social benefits or insurance for same-sex partners, as they are not legally recognized as a couple in Japan. The fear of social repercussions also leads many individuals to conceal their LGBT identity, making it difficult to challenge discrimination from public officials, family, or friends. During the conference, Taniguchi expresses interest in the intersectionality of human rights issues, noting how LGBT rights are intertwined with cultural, disability, and indigenous issues among different countries. A personal narrative reveals that Taniguchi, fortunately faced acceptance from family and friends regarding their sexuality. In contrast, Taniguchi's partner, who has not come out to their family or workplace, experiences considerable fear and apprehension due to potential social consequences. Taniguchi also discusses the complications faced by Japanese LGBT individuals in the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of 2011, noting how same-sex partners were unable to obtain information or access their partners, as they were not recognized as legal family. This tragedy has prompted a more serious consideration of legalizing same-sex partnerships in Japan. The lack of representation from East Asian activists at the conference is noted, and Taniguchi stresses the importance of international collaboration and participation to promote LGBT rights. With the hope that future listeners, perhaps 30 years on, will reflect on the progress made, Taniguchi underscores the ongoing struggle for human rights and the necessity of organizing such conferences to improve the global situation for LGBT individuals. The interview concludes with the expectation that returning to Japan, Taniguchi will share insights from the conference with fellow activists to encourage further international engagement and advocacy efforts. The full transcription of the recording begins:  My name is I'm from Japan. Uh, I'm a a legal researcher. So, uh, I'm I want to know about how, uh, the, uh, many countries reacting about the LGBT human rights and, uh, want to exchange many opinions with, with many activists and many researchers. What similarities and differences have you found through through being at the conference? Well, as you know, the Japan has no, uh, Japan don't don't have a sodomy law, And, uh, but many countries have that law that such kind of law. So, um, I think the main difference between the many countries and Japan or uh, East Asian countries is like is a absence of the sodomy law, because many countries and many presentation says that they started to act as a rep repeal the sodomy law. But we don't have such kind of law, so we we have no, uh, we we don't have any start point to, um, legal reform. So what is the human rights status for gay lesbian transgender people in Japan at the moment? Um, well, there are, um there are no law in Japan like a nondiscrimination law, except for a very broad, um, article in the Constitution, but that cons uh, the Japanese Constitution does not recognise the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender people as a non disc, the target of the discrimination some some kind of, uh, law, uh, referring about transgender in Japan. But no, uh, no legislation, uh, referred to the lesbian, gay, bisexual people. So does that mean you can still be discriminated in Japan if you are gay or lesbian or transgender? Um, that is a big, big, big difficulty because, like, we don't have such severe, um, severe hate crime. We we don't We don't have such severe hate crime or the violence in Japan, but, uh, the social attitude is very against to the to the LGBT people. Uh, especially in the in the coun countryside area. Can you foresee changes in Japanese law to to add anti discrimination legislation for LGBT people? Yeah, I, I I'm doing doing a doing a lot lobbying. I'm lobbying with my, uh, fellow activist to pass the legislation about the anti discrimination law in general and that that anti discrimination law should, uh, include, uh, discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity. But so far there is not succeeded. Do you have examples of, um, gay or lesbian or transgender people being discriminated against. Uh, for example, the, like the same sex partner cannot, uh, have a have a social benefit or social insurance as a partner because they are not legally recognised as a couple. So, uh, that is 11 of the one of the big problems in Japan and also the if the people are discriminated against based on their sexual orientation on the gender identity, they are very fearful to, um to come out to to to to to, um, say that they are on these communities because of because of their sexual orientation and gender identity, because the social acceptance acceptance is not enough in Japan. And so it is quite difficult to, um, to claim their discrimination to the public officials or even their family or their friends at at the conference. What of the main things you've been interested in? OK, uh, I'm interested in the the the intersectionality of the issues, like the people from the many countries have many different, uh, different problems and on different issues. But that that that is, uh, very connected each other, like the people from the Pacific Island and, uh, the the cultural difference and the disability issues and the indigenous people's issues. And so, uh, they are very com combined and and issues. So the the issue of LGBT is a not not only the LGBT issues but various issue of the human rights itself. Have you ever been discriminated against in Japan? Uh, in my experience, uh, for fortunately or unfortunately, I don't know, But I, I I don't have any discriminated because, fortunately, my parents are very tolerant people, and they are very accepted. My sexuality and my friends is also supportive for my, uh, for myself. But, um my my Oh, yeah, for example, my my partner, my partner, is a, um how can I say, uh, it's a kind of close it. Close it. He he doesn't come out for his family and his friends and his company. So he is very, uh, suffer from many, uh, you know, he he fears that, uh, that, um, my II I am the as a researcher. I'm, uh, come out as a, uh my my my name in the newspaper and some papers. So, uh, and my face is on the newspapers or some other books. So whenever, whenever I I go out with my partner, my partner is very fearful that they if if the people saw my face and my partner, uh, that that they are, they suspect that their partners and it it is a kind of outing. Is there a similar thing for same sex marriage in Japan, like civil unions or something similar? Not yet. Some activists, some activists, are very active for lobbying the parliament to enact the legislation. But some activists are are opposed to that legislation, you know, because they are very fearful to, uh, to be included as a, um in a marriage system in Japan because the marriage system in Japan is very, uh, discriminative for women. So many, uh, especially, um, many, many lesbian activists and lesbian, bisexual or transgender activists are opposed to the legislation. But now, uh, the people are thinking that, uh, we, uh, as you know, we we are facing in a tragedy in Japan and, uh, some some of the, uh LGBT people living in the in that area in the Tohoku area is suffering from their life. But the the partner who lives in outside the Toho area cannot access to them because because they are not legal family. So the government or the the medical institute are informed their relatives, legal, legal, family or legal relatives that they are safe or they are dead. But, uh, the same sex partner cannot access such kind of information at all. So now it's a very, um, people living in in Japan, the LGBT people living in Japan, uh, seems to take it seriously to to legalise the same sex partnership. And the very tragic event that you're mentioning is is the magnitude nine earthquake and tsunami that that's just hit hit off northern Japan. But now, now, I I'm, uh during this conference, I'm gathering many informations from LGBT activists in Japan, and they try to, um, try to persuade the government officials to support for LGBT people or to get information even if they are not legally a binding legal family. Did the earthquake affect your travel? Did you arrive in New Zealand prior to the earthquake or uh uh after after the earthquake? So I I have a little trouble because the transportation in Japan is now very ill. So, um, but have happily I can come here, but I I'm I'm wondering I can go back. I go back on on Sunday, This Sunday, this week. Um, but I I'm wondering if the flight is right or not. What do you think you will take away from this conference when you go back to Japan? I, I think, uh, II I should inform the, uh, the LGBT activists in Japan. Uh, one thing is the, uh this this kind of, uh, international conference is very important to, uh, exchange your opinions and exchange information or, um, to take take courage from many other countries activists. It's very good opportunity for them. And the second thing is, there are, um unfortunately, there are, um, a few, uh, East Asian activists in this conference. Even this conference is Asian Pacific. So not not East Asian, East Asian, like Japan and China and Taiwan and Hong Kong. Korea is a very a few participant. So, uh, we should do tell. Tell the people that this conference is very good opportunity for them to participate. Just one final question. If somebody hears this in 30 years time, if they're listening back to this tape in 30 years, what would you like to say to them I, I hope. I hope this things things going better gradually, uh, in in all over the world. So, uh, please don't Don't forget that many people are struggling to, um, promote human rights or, uh, to to make things better, uh, to to organise this kind of conference. The full transcription of the recording ends. A list of keywords/tags describing the recording follow. These tags contain the correct spellings of names and places which may have been incorrectly spelt earlier in the document. The tags are seperated by a semi-colon: 2010s ; Asia Pacific Outgames (2011) ; Asian ; China ; Hiroyuki Taniguchi ; Hong Kong ; Japan ; Korea ; LGBT ; Pacific ; People ; Taiwan ; Tokyo ; Wellington ; acceptance ; access ; anti discrimination ; attitude ; binding ; bisexual ; books ; civil unions ; conference ; courage ; crime ; difference ; disability ; discrimination ; earthquake ; face ; family ; friends ; gay ; gender ; gender identity ; government ; hate ; hate crime ; hope ; human rights ; identity ; indigenous peoples ; insurance ; ladies ; law ; legislation ; lesbian ; lobbying ; march ; marriage ; newspapers ; opportunity ; other ; parents ; partnership ; sex ; sexual orientation ; sexuality ; social ; sodomy ; suffering ; support ; time ; transgender ; travel ; unions ; violence ; women. The original recording can be heard at this website https://www.pridenz.com/apog_hiroyuki_taniguchi.html. The master recording is also archived at the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington, New Zealand.  For more details visit their website https://tiaki.natlib.govt.nz/#details=ecatalogue.1089454. Please note that this document may contain errors or omissions - you should always refer back to the original recording to confirm content.