Japan is adopting more western ideals as a Japanese court recently ruled it unconstitutional to require a person to get gender-change surgery to change their gender on their documents.

The 48-year-old Gen Suzuki filed a lawsuit in 2021 requesting a court to allow her gender be changed from female to male on her documents without needing to undergo surgery. Gen claimed that being forced into surgery for this was “inhuman and unconstitutional”.

The Shizuoka family court concurred with these statements and declared that requirement of gender-change surgery for official gender change on documents was unconstitutional.

The court claimed that the surgical removal of reproductive organs could cause “irreversible loss of reproductive functions”, and requiring the surgery “raises a question of its necessity and rationality”.

Repeated instances of such cases before Japan’s Supreme Court could potentially set legal precedent nationally on the matter.

Some might assume the court has been influenced by westerners, as they explained that “a growing social acceptance of sexual and gender diversity” makes the legal requirement to undergo surgery and eliminate possible childbirth “outdated and goes counter to a global effort toward creating a more inclusive society.”

Suzuki stated that she was emboldened by this turn of events, saying “I want children to hang on to their hope. I want to see a society where sexual diversity is naturally accepted”.

It is alleged that Suzuki had “gender identity” problems since her youth, and at 40 years old, began hormonal treatment and breast removal surgery.

Some Japanese online commentators have publicly expressed their concern, as it could allow men to enter into women-only train cars and bathrooms by claiming they’re a woman.