A group of ruling coalition lawmakers is preparing legislation that would allow transsexuals to switch their gender on their family register after having sex-change surgery.
The bill, which is being discussed by a project team made up of lawmakers from the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito and the New Conservative Party, is aimed at allowing individuals diagnosed by psychiatrists as having gender identity disorder to apply to family courts to have their gender registration changed.
For years, transsexuals who underwent sex-change surgery have sought court approval to change their registered sex. They have also submitted numerous joint petitions to politicians and health ministry officials, seeking legal action to facilitate their quest.