TOKYO -- The Japanese Ministry of Defense has stopped disclosing the gender of Self-Defense Forces (SDF) members subject to disciplinary or criminal actions starting this month, reportedly in consideration of the individuals' sexual orientation and gender identity.

Gender was not previously included in press releases about disciplinary action, but inquiries were answered to the extent that they did not lead to personal identification. This practice has been revised.

The Ground Staff Office on Jan. 22 announced a punishment against a Ground Self-Defense Force member, imposing a 10% salary cut for one month. The reason for the action was the member's repeated absences without taking leave to attend a judo therapist qualification school unrelated to their duties, with 202 instances of absence less than one hour and seven occasions of absence between one and two hours.

The press release identified the individual as a "sergeant first class, central service support unit, 47 years old." When asked about their gender, the Ground Staff Office's public relations office explained, "We consider issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity, including privacy concerns, to be complex, and from this perspective, we as a ministry are refraining from disclosing gender."

Press releases regarding punishments in the Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces include information such as the individual's affiliation, rank, age, reason for and date of the punishment, and content of the action. Gender has not been included, but was previously provided verbally upon inquiry. According to a source close to the matter, a Jan. 17 directive was issued under the name of the Defense Ministry's Bureau of Personnel and Education director, instructing relevant departments to refrain from disclosing gender.

On that day, the Ground Staff Office announced a case of a teenage student at the force's High Technical School having been referred to prosecutors in November 2024 for an alleged indecent act. The school admits boys, but the student's gender was not disclosed.

This approach is seen as a response to the growing societal awareness of the rights of sexual minorities, such as LGBTQ individuals. However, there are concerns within the ministry about whether it can sufficiently fulfill its responsibility to provide explanations to the public under this policy.

(Japanese original by Yoshitake Matsuura, Tokyo City News Department)