The Newsman

By Rebecca Milner

Tom Paine of GayJapanNews.com

In February 2005, American Tom Paine and his Japanese partner of three years, Hiroshi Mochizuki, started a website called GayJapanNews.com. This non-profit organization, run by a team of twenty volunteer reporters, editors and translators, is now the most comprehensive website in Japanese for LGBT news.

Japanzine caught up with Paine to talk about running the website and working with the gay community in Japan.

Japanzine: What motivated you to start GayJapanNews.com?

Tom Paine: I think that being an international couple has made us acutely aware of the need to improve gay rights in Japan. Unlike countries that allow same-sex partner visa sponsorships, like Australia, same-sex marriage, like Canada, Holland and Spain, or civil partnerships, like England, Japan offers no legal recognition of same-sex relationships. This means that the only thing that allows us to be together is my working visa. The problem is that there are virtually no anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBT employees. I could lose my job, and hence my visa, just for being gay.

We decided that the first hurdle facing the advancement of gay rights in Japan was the lack of information. The mainstream media wasn’t reporting any LGBT news and the language barrier prevented most Japanese people from getting that information online. By showing Japanese people the successes and setbacks of the gay rights movement in other countries, they can begin to examine their own situation more clearly.

JZ: What has been the biggest news story featured on the site?

TP: Most of our news stories are from different countries around the world but one of our biggest stories this year was about Miyakonojo City in Miyazaki prefecture. In 2003 the city made the groundbreaking decision to include sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination laws. However, earlier this year, Miyakonojo and three other cities were consolidated and work was begun to merge the local laws. Then, in September, the new municipality decided in a private, closed-door meeting to remove the sexual orientation clause from its anti-discrimination laws. No LGBT groups were invited to speak on behalf of the ordinance. This reversal of progress was definitely one of our most closely followed stories.

JZ: What kind of reaction did the story get from your readers?

TP: Many people were surprised to see such a visible and open exercise in homophobia.

JZ: How has the site grown over the last two years?

TP: Definitely the biggest change that has happened has been our consistent expansion in readership. I think that we have tapped into a real hunger for information.

JZ: What has been the most surprising thing about running GayJapanNews?

TP: The amount of positive feedback, encouragement and support that we get from all of the people around us never ceases to amaze me. This comes from so many different fronts: from our readers who participate in forums, from the owners and staff at local restaurants, bars and clubs, and from Japanese politicians such as Osaka’s Kanako Otsuji and Setagaya ward’s Aya Kamikawa (Japan’s first openly transsexual politician). It also comes from other non-profits like the HIV prevention-oriented “Akta” and the gay pride parades in Tokyo and Sapporo. We have even gotten a very warm response from Australia’s national Board of Tourism and the Sydney Mardi Gras named us as an official International Media Partner.

JZ: How would you characterize the gay community in Japan? How do you think it differs from America?

TP: Across the board, I've found the Japanese Gay community to be very friendly and internally supportive. One thing that is different from other countries is that this community hasn't quite found its voice yet. Most of my Japanese friends haven't come out to their families and straight friends. I think that this will change as people gain confidence.

JZ: What changes would you like to see in Japan?

TP: We’d like to see Japan become a place where it is safe to live outside the closet.

JZ: In addition to working on GJN, how else are you involved in the gay community?

TP: We partnered with a number of other groups for the International Day Against Homophobia, which included a protest in front of Shinjuku station as well as approaching various mainstream media sources and embassies to discuss the issue. We have also organized a Gay Ski Weekend charity event, which will be held in Nagano prefecture this December 15th-17th. The money raised will go to supporting our “Project Equality.”

JZ: What's that?

TP: “Project Equality” aims to improve the legal standing of LGBT people in Japan by two primary means: economic revitalization and media creation. We aim to jump-start the economic revitalization of Japan’s LGBT community by stimulating investment from companies and individuals in the form of advertising, tourism, charitable donations and direct investment. By media creation, we mean the creation of a diverse network in order to educate Japanese people about LGBT issues as well as to provide a conduit through which companies can reach this neglected but very profitable market.


For more information on Project Equality, contact Tom at tom [at ] gayjapannews.com

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