Japan, like many Asian countries, don’t have the best LGBTQ+ protection or rights out there. However, Japan is one of several Asian countries that are remotely liberal and somewhat supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean they’re protected or granted the same rights as everyone else. Taiwan is the only Asian country to have marriage equality. This handy Wikipedia article has a comprehensive check list of Asian countries’ legislation relevant to LGBTQ+ people. Japan passing such legislation matters so much because of 2020 Olympics that is to be held there.
In fact, the Olympics was seen as a golden opportunity for Japan to do so. There were promises and efforts from Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party both in 2020 and 2021 that ultimately failed. The 2020 Olympics will not have any open LGBTQ+ athletes, which is pretty damn atrocious if you ask me. Thankfully, local city governments have protections for LGBTQ+ people, but still, the Prime Minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga, who has not expressed anything about LGBTQ+ people, needs to talk and act for state wide nondiscrimination legislation.