My article with Daijiro Miyake, “Demographic Diversity of the Aromantic/Asexual Spectrum in Japan,” has been published in the Journal of Population Problems, a journal of the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research! This article is part of the special issue “Demography of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: Building a Foundation for Research in Japan (Part 3).” See here for the full issue.

• Miyake, Daijiro, and Daiki Hiramori. 2021. “Demographic Diversity of the Aromantic/Asexual Spectrum in Japan: Findings from the 2020 Aro/Ace Survey.” Journal of Population Problems 77(2):206-32. In Japanese.

Abstract: In Western countries, studies using representative surveys and community surveys have begun to reveal the size and the diversity of the asexual population. On the other hand, in Japan, there are only a few studies using representative surveys, and the detailed realities of the asexual population are yet to be explored. This article analyzed a web survey “Aromantic/Asexual Spectrum Survey 2020,” conducted by the Aro/Ace Survey Executive Committee. Most of the respondents tended to be cisgender women, young people, and residents of the southern Kanto region. Many identified as aromantic and asexual, but some identified as other aro/ace identities. We also conducted an analysis on “nonsexual,” an identity category unique to Japan. While masturbation and sex drives were found in a certain number of asexual respondents, the proportion of those who would like to have sexual contact with others was particularly low among asexual respondents. We conclude that sexual contact with others has important implications for self-identification.

Keywords: asexual, aromantic, LGBT, sexual and gender minorities, sexual orientation and romantic orientation

このたび、アセクシュアルの人口学に関する論文（三宅大二郎さんとの共著）が国立社会保障・人口問題研究所のジャーナル『人口問題研究』に掲載されました！本論文は特集号「性的指向と性自認の人口学―日本における研究基盤の構築（その３）」の一部です。本号全体はこちらをご覧ください。

• 三宅大二郎・平森大規，2021，「日本におけるアロマンティック／アセクシュアル・スペクトラムの人口学的多様性――『Aro/Ace調査2020』の分析結果から」『人口問題研究』77(2): 206-32．

On July 21 at 1pm (JST), I’ll give an online talk on the demography of sexual orientation and gender identity, titled “Measuring Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity on Surveys in Japan: Methods and Epistemologies” at the German Institute for Japanese Studies with Dr. Saori Kamano of the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research. If you are interested, please register at least one day in advance!

Link: https://www.dijtokyo.org/event/on-sexual-identity-and-sexual-orientation-in-large-scale-surveys-title-tbd/

Description: In recent years, issues involving sexual and gender minorities have increasingly attracted attention in Japan. Addressing the lack of data to understand social inequality based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), we developed questions to measure SOGI on population-based surveys under the research project “Demography of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: Building a Foundation for Research in Japan.” This allows us to statistically compare the lives of sexual/gender minorities and the majority using representative data. In our talk, we first present findings from our preparatory studies, including focus groups and a pilot survey used to develop SOGI questions in the Japanese context. Then we report the results of the Osaka City Residents’ Survey, one of the first population-based surveys with SOGI questions completed in Japan. Third, we present findings from an experimental web survey, focusing on the response category—“don’t want to decide, haven’t decided”—to the sexual orientation question we proposed. Here we address the issue of heterosexual respondents being misclassified as non-heterosexual and the difficulty of fully separating heterosexual and non-heterosexual people in survey data. We conclude our talk by discussing two approaches to population sexuality (a demographic approach and a queer approach) to explore the possibility of a queer demography.

7月21日午後1時（日本時間）から、ドイツ日本研究所で「性的指向と性自認のあり方を日本の量的調査でいかに測定するか――その方法と認識論」という性的指向・性自認の人口学に関するオンライントークを国立社会保障・人口問題研究所の釜野さおりさんと一緒に行います。英語での開催ですが、ご関心のある方は前日までに参加登録をお願いします！

On May 5, I was invited as a guest to deliver a presentation titled, “The Demography of the Aromantic/Asexual Spectrum” at “Surveying Aro/Ace: Its Methods and Meanings,” an event hosted by the Aro/Ace Survey Executive Committee. See here for more details about the event (in Japanese). The slides that I used in my presentation (in Japanese) are available here. The recording (in Japanese) is also available on YouTube.

5月5日に、Aro/Ace調査実行委員会主催のイベント「Aro/Aceを調査するーその方法と意味ー」にて、ゲストとして「アロマンティック／アセクシュアル・スペクトラムの人口学」という報告を行いました。イベントの詳細につきましてはこちらをご覧ください。報告時に使用したスライド資料はこちらからご覧いただけます。また、当日の録画につきましてもYouTubeから視聴可能です。

On April 27, I was invited as an expert to deliver a presentation titled, “Attitudes toward Anti-Discrimination Laws Based on SOGI: Findings from the second ‘National Survey of Attitudes toward Sexual/Gender Minorities in Japan’” at the 5th “Rainbow Parliament” YouTube Streaming Event: Pass the Equality Act in Japan!, hosted by Equality Act Japan (Japan Alliance for LGBT Legislation, Human Rights Watch, Athlete Ally, and ALL OUT). See here for more details about the event. The slides that I used in my presentation (in Japanese) are available here. The recordings (in Japanese) are also available on YouTube (full presentation, event highlights)

4月27日に、「Equality Act Japan – 日本にもLGBT平等法を」キャンペーン（LGBT法連合会、Human Rights Watch、Athlete Ally、ALL OUT）主催の「第5回レインボー国会 – もう待てません！今国会でのLGBT・SOGI法制定を！理解を進め、差別をなくし、平等な社会の実現へ」にて、有識者コメントとして「SOGIに基づく差別禁止法に対する態度――「性的マイノリティについての意識：2019年（第2回）全国調査」の分析結果から」という報告を行いました。イベントの詳細につきましてはこちらをご覧ください。報告時に使用したスライド資料はこちらからご覧いただけます。また、当日の録画につきましてもYouTubeから視聴可能です（報告全体、ダイジェスト）。

My first article in English has just been released in the Journal of Population Problems, published by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research! This article is part of the special issue “Demography of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: Building a Foundation for Research in Japan (Part 1).” See here for the full issue. *A full Japanese translation of this article is available in the Journal of Population Problems 77(1):45-67 (added on March 25, 2021).

• Hiramori, Daiki, and Saori Kamano. 2020. “Asking about Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Social Surveys in Japan: Findings from the Osaka City Residents’ Survey and Related Preparatory Studies.” Journal of Population Problems 76(4):443-66.

Abstract: Most studies on the measurement of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in representative surveys are conducted in Western countries. Whether the findings from these studies are applicable to countries with legal, religious, and cultural contexts regarding sexual and gender minorities distinct from Western societies is yet to be explored. To fill this gap, this paper summarizes the findings from focus groups and a pilot survey conducted to develop SOGI questions in the Japanese context. For sexual orientation identity, a six-category question that includes definition of each category, and for transgender status, a three-step method, are suggested for general use. The paper also reports on percentage distributions of SOGI by assigned sex at birth and by age group based on the Osaka City Residents’ Survey, one of the first population-based surveys in Japan with SOGI questions. Overall, our findings illustrate the significance of examining the measurement of SOGI beyond Western societies.

Keywords: recommended survey questions on SOGI, measurement, population-based survey, LGBT, focus groups

このたび、初めての英語論文が国立社会保障・人口問題研究所発行の『人口問題研究』に掲載されました！本論文は特集号「性的指向と性自認の人口学―日本における研究基盤の構築（その１）」の一部です。本号全体はこちらをご覧ください。

• Hiramori, Daiki, and Saori Kamano. 2020. “Asking about Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Social Surveys in Japan: Findings from the Osaka City Residents’ Survey and Related Preparatory Studies.” Journal of Population Problems 76(4):443-66.

なお、本論文の日本語タイトルは「性的指向と性自認のあり方を日本の量的調査でいかにとらえるか――大阪市民調査に向けた準備調査における項目の検討と本調査の結果」（平森大規・釜野さおり）です。論文の最終ページに日本語抄訳を載せていますので、あわせてご覧ください！

※『人口問題研究』77巻1号に、日本語全訳が掲載されています（2021年3月25日追記）。