Whenever Shigeyoshi Suzuki, 39, a public elementary school teacher in Tokyo, sees children voicing anti-gay slurs or taunts, he will always put a stop to it and make them aware of the harms of such discrimination.

"If your teacher explains (the issues surrounding the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community), consider yourself lucky," Suzuki told The Japan Times in a recent interview.

As advocate for LGBT rights and an openly gay man, Suzuki believes Japan lags behind in gender equality education and calls for a greater support for LGBT-inclusive sex education.