5 years since the death of a Hitotsubashi University graduate student. "I want to eliminate discrimination," says his classmate, who is now a lawyer. The university LGBTQ support network releases a memorial video.

A law student (25 years old at the time) in Hitotsubashi University was outed as gay to his classmates. This affected his mental health, which led him to jump off a school building. August 24, 2020 marks the 5th year since this incident happened. His classmate at the time has finally graduated and become a lawyer. As a lawyer, he plans "to eliminate discrimination and prejudice against sexual orientation and gender identity." He says this in an interview published in a Tokyo Newspaper article. Furthermore, the LGBTQ+ support network in the university released a memorial video.

　Even now, Mr. B, the classmate of the deceased Mr. A, regrets that "he didn't know how to help his classmate when he was outed to his fellow aspiring lawyers." They took the same classes together for about a year and a half. He recalls Mr. A as an amazing and friendly guy.

　On the day they had a mock trial, the deceased looked unwell during class. He jumped off the school building that same night, according to a faculty member. "We didn't know what had happened. Even in class, there was somehow an unspoken agreement that we couldn't talk about it," Mr. B says. He learned about how Mr. A was outed after one year he died when the bereaved filed a lawsuit.

    Mr. B got increasingly worried that he might have also contributed to his classmate's pain. "I cannot find atonement for his death, but I cannot allow history to repeat itself," he says. He attended pride parades and conferences regarding the incident. He also joined seminars that discussed human rights issues.

　Because of the incident, outing turned into a bigger social issue. This led Kunitachi city, the city where Hitotsubashi University was, to implement a ban specifically against outing queer individuals in 2018. The city mandated preventive measures against outing under the power harassment law in June 2020. "It might be presumptuous for me to speak on behalf of the dead, but I want to be able to prevent something like this tragic case from ever happening again," Mr. B says, now working as a lawyer.

　The bereaved called for a trial and settled with the classmates involved with the outing that happened in a LINE group. As for the problem with the university's handling of the case, the Tokyo district court decided to set aside the demands of the bereaved during the judiciary decision in the first trial. Mr. B says that right now, negotiations are still on-going to reach an amicable settlement in an appeal trial.

　LGBTQ+ Bridge Network, the university club that supports LGBTQ students, prepared a memorial video as they commemorate the 5th year of Mr. A's death anniversary. The club president, Kohei Honda, the vice president, Tomoya Nishira, and a club member, Sae Yamaguchi, talk about the outing incident in the video.

　Many students donated flowers to remember his death anniversary starting last year, but because of the countermeasures against COVID-19, entering the university is restricted. However, members of the LGBTQ+ Bridge Network thought that his death anniversary was "one of the few times in a year to remember this incident," so they made this video.

　The video is about 19 minutes long and follows three people recalling the outing incident. Mr. Honda is a friend of Mr. A's younger sister. "I hope people realize that LGBTQ+ students can be anyone around you. I want to create an environment where people can ask themselves why they don't think they know or have met LGBTQ+ folks in their lives," he says. Mr. Nishira is currently focusing his research on discrimination in society. He says, "I want Hitotsubashi University to be a place where students can study without worrying about their safety, where students and staff can go to school safely." Additionally, Ms. Yamaguchi says, "We should not let the same incident happen again. I want to see improvement from the university administration in how they will create a safe space within a closed environment usually found in a university." They all emphasized how important it is to create an environment for LGBTQ students to study without the fear of being outed.

　In the video, they are asking for people to send them messages, which they will deliver to the bereaved family members. Please take the time to watch the video. [It has English subtitles, so people who do not know Japanese can watch it.]

　They cannot bring Mr. A back to life, but the people who knew him are still fighting against LGBTQ discrimination. They want to create a safe space for LGBTQ students. They continue their work as activists and changing people's minds. (Mr. A must be proudly watching from the clouds.)

　I think that all of us, to some extent, are part of the bereaved family. I hope that each one of us takes his death as a sign to do whatever we can to help.

　Around the world, we have different days for the LGBTQ community like the International Anti-Homophobia Day and National Coming Out Day. (They are more of a movement rather than days of commemoration.). I hope that August 24 will be a "day when we think about the consequences of outing someone." I hope that it will become a day remembered nationwide.　

Reference:

5 years after the death of the outing incident victim, his classmate becomes a lawyer and wants to eliminate discrimation and prejudice. (Tokyo Newspaper): https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/50662



Source of the article: https://www.outjapan.co.jp/lgbtcolumn_news/news/2020/8/27.html

"Foehn phenomenon" in Hamamatsu and Japan records the highest temperature at 41.1 degrees... Record high temperatures at 26 places in Japan

Japan records 41.1 degrees in Hamamatsu city as

the highest temperature in observational history. 

People are walking nearby the train station while

the heat rages on even after the sun sets. 

(Aug. 17, 5:10 PM)

Photo by Mitsuru Tamura

　High pressure areas cover the whole of Japan and an intense heat wave sweeps the country from West to East. At 12:10pm, meteorologists recorded 41.1 ℃ in Hamamatsu as the highest temperature in observational history. It is one of the 26 places in Japan that has experienced this record high temperature. This heat wave might continue until Aug. 21, so the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) released a severe warning for heatstroke.

　According to JMA, Kumagaya, Saitama also experienced the record heat at 41.1 ℃ on July 23, 2018. In the case of Hamamatsu city, warm air passed over the mountains and turned into high-temperature winds, forming Foehn winds. This led to a sudden rise in temperature.

Japan records 41.1 degrees in Hamamatsu city
 as the highest temperature in observational history.
People are walking while holding parasols to block
the harsh sunlight. (Aug. 17, 3:30PM) 
Photo by Mitsuru Tamura

　Aside from Hamamatsu, the previous records were taken in Nishimera, Miyazaki and Iida, Nagano at 39.7 ℃ and 39.5 ℃, respectively. Meteorologists have observed that 269 sites in Japan are experiencing extremely hot days at 35 ℃ or higher.

　JMA asks everyone to take care not only during daytime or while outdoors, but also to take care during nighttime or while indoors.

Source: https://yomidr.yomiuri.co.jp/article/20200817-OYT1T50125/?catname=news-kaisetsu_news

All 35 mayors in Hokkaido send out their support for Sapporo Rainbow Pride

　
"The booklets and rubber wristbands from the crowdfunding campaign for Sapporo Rainbow Pride have arrived!" I tweet at this moment, but there is another topic we should talk about. The Hokkaido governor and Sapporo mayor have previously shown their support, but this time around, all 35 mayors within Hokkaido have sent their messages of support, which were published on the booklet.


　

Sapporo Pride has given rise to many pride parade legends. It was the first in Japan to host a DJ float competition (1999), and the first to release balloons during the parade (2001). In 2003, Sapporo mayor, Mr. Fumio Ueda himself, attended the parade. "Everyone is welcome in Sapporo," he said in a speech, which touched the hearts of those participating. (This was the first time in Japan when a local government leader has given a speech at Pride.) With all of that said, I think his attendance was a historical feat. (By the way, the governor of Tokyo still hasn't attended Pride once.)

　Because of that, they have been requesting supportive messages from all the mayors within Hokkaido since 2010. At first, it was only 12 mayors who responded, but after 10 years, they finally received the support from all the mayors. (This is truly an amazing feat. Truly wonderful! Congratulations!) Their messages did not only talk about the celebration of Pride, but also contained information about LGBTQ-related initiatives and plans for the future. (About 22 cities are currently carrying out these initiatives.)
　
　Other information is also published in this booklet. The executive committee is still hotly debating whether the parade should be postponed or not because of COVID-19. Their opinions are completely divided. We sympathize deeply with how difficult the decision may be.

　Whatever the committee's decision will be when Sept. 12 [the original date for the parade] comes, Sapporo Rainbow Pride will still bring wonderful messages to everyone in the community whether it will take the form of a parade or not. (Plus all the backers from the crowdfunding campaign have their support!)
　　
Sapporo Rainbow Pride 2020
https://www.sprrainbowpride.com/


Source: https://www.outjapan.co.jp/lgbtcolumn_news/news/2020/8/9.html

Social isolation and loneliness are serious health risks

Consulting Dr. Hiroshi Murayama from the Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology

　
Self-quarantine during the COVID-19 disaster brings to the forefront an existing problem in modern society: isolation and loneliness. The elderly who are living alone are especially affected. Being forced to self-quarantine puts serious stress on one's physical and mental wellbeing. It worsens one's anxiety. So how do we frame social isolation and loneliness as health issues? What types of treatment are available to combat these issues? Shut-ins, self-neglect, and social prescription have become keywords while discussing social isolation and loneliness as medical issues. We have interviewed experts who have initiated this conversation. For the first interview, we have Dr. Hiroshi Murayama from the Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology. He is also the author of 『つながりと健康格差』(lit. Relationships and Health Equity) (Poplar New Book, 2018). He explained to us how social isolation and loneliness should be considered as health risks.

Increase in dementia, cardiovascular diseases and cancer deaths

ーー “Is there evidence that proves social isolation and loneliness affect our wellbeing?”

　There has been a collection of epidemiological research related to the effects of isolation and loneliness since 1970. Presently, we are still gathering results from the meta-analysis. "Poor social relationships" has been reported to increase the incidence of cardiovascular diseases. It has increased coronary heart disease (CHD) by 29% and stroke by 32% ¹⁾. The same has been reported on dementia. According to Kuiper, " poor social participation" increases incident risk of dementia by 41%, 57% for "lack of social contact", and 58% for "loneliness" ²⁾. Furthermore, Pinquart observes that the mortality rate of cancer decreases by 20% when the patient has a "larger social network", and 25% if they have "higher levels of social support" ³⁾.

　Isolation and loneliness do not only affect incident risk of diseases, but also mortality rates. According to Holt-Lunstad's meta-analysis, "living alone", "social isolation", and "loneliness" increase mortality rate by 32%, 29%, 26% respectively. (Graph 1) ⁴⁾. We can say that there is solid evidence, which proves social isolation and loneliness can increase incidence of different diseases and mortality rates.

Graph 1. Lack of social relationships affecting mortality rate (meta-analysis)

（Holt-Lunstad J,et al.Perspect Psychol Sci 2015;10: 227-237)

Social isolation is objective, loneliness is subjective

ーー”Can you define the terms: social isolation, loneliness, social support etc.?”

　Social isolation is "a condition where there is little to no interaction with the family or the community." It is objective because it depends on the number of people you are living with and the frequency of social contact. Loneliness, on the other hand, means "the undesirable emotion that comes with the lack of social interaction." Because of its subjective nature, UCLA evaluates loneliness with a psychological scale, like a loneliness scale.

　In the same way, social network is a measurable set of relationships while social support is a psychological and tangible assistance you can obtain from relationships. There is also social capital, which is defined as "the resource obtained from being affiliated with a group."

　Organizational relationships are divided into communities and associations. The former is a union that naturally comes with territory. The latter is formed based on the hobbies, special interests, and goals of its members.



ーー “Which poses more of a risk, social isolation or loneliness?”

　There is overlap between the two. On one hand, loneliness arises from social isolation, but on the other hand, people who are feeling lonely tend to isolate themselves more. Many epidemiological researches have reported different results from investigating both. Judging from the results of the meta-analysis, we should perceive both as serious health risks.

Loneliness, a distress on the brain

ーー “How can social isolation and loneliness be damaging to our health?”

　There is not a lot of medical research on what happens inside the body when someone is in social isolation or feels loneliness. However, various psychological research has been conducted on the topic, such as "The Science of Loneliness," written by J.T. Cacioppo, an American researcher ⁵⁾.

"Human beings are social beings. Social isolation, for us, means danger. Therefore, fearing loneliness is an instinct," he impressively points out.

　For example, using an MRI scan, researchers have observed that social rejection is the same as the physical pain signalled from the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex ⁶⁾. In other words, day-to-day loneliness is the same as chronic pain. In this way, we can see how social isolation and loneliness can have severe negative effects on our mind and body.

　Loneliness builds up stress, which leads to increasing the chances of developing ailments such as CHD and stroke. Also, there are reports that it can weaken immunity and make you more susceptible to infections, so the risk of contracting pneumonia increases.

　Inversely, having plenty of social connections can become a huge benefit to your health. You can receive support from your surroundings and be encouraged to socially participate. Getting sufficient support is thought to help produce oxytocin, which helps alleviate stress.

Isn't that just a personal problem?

Right now, social isolation and loneliness has become a worldwide issue.

　Unmarried and individuals who live alone have increased in developed countries because of the aging population and the ever-changing views on family values and marriage. Opportunities to work with everyone for one project have decreased at the workplace due to job specializations. Furthermore, there has been an increase of people who have observed the division and segregation in society based on social disparity and discrimination. For many people, building relationships has become harder.

――“The appointment of the Minister of Loneliness in the UK has become quite a topic.”

　In the UK, 1 in 7 people experience loneliness. For those who are 65 and older, it is 3 in 10 people. Because of this, the economy suffers a 4.9 million yen loss annually. Looking at these points, we can say that loneliness is no longer a personal problem in the UK and it must be dealt with as a countrywide issue. Specific strategies have started to be put into place. They are planning to gather more research, create cross-cutting solutions for loneliness, and increase public awareness. They are also thinking of developing social prescription programs and improving services for mobility.

Japan ranks 1st in the world for social isolation and loneliness

―― “How is the situation in Japan?”

　The situation in Japan is just as serious. People who are living alone exceed one-third of the overall population. The rate of unmarried people (at the age of 50) is rapidly increasing among men and women by 27% and 18% respectively ⁷⁾. The data is a little old, but the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) conducted a survey where Japan ranks the highest out of 20 countries on the percentage of people who "have little to no interaction with friends and colleagues" (Graph 2) ⁸⁾. The Cabinet Office conducted another survey where Japan ranked highest again out of 4 countries with a percentage of 16% for people "who do not have people outside of their family to rely on" ⁹⁾.

Graph 2. "People who have little to no interaction with friends and colleagues"percentage for various countries

（OECD. Society at Glance. 2005 edition)

　Up until now, Japan has been keeping strong communal, familial, and corporate relationships, without consciously creating other types of associations and social groups. It has been said that it can be good to start a community based on "relationships." However, on that note, once that "relationship" falls apart, it is easy to fall into the trap of isolation. Presently, the Japanese might be more strategic in creating connections.

　This means that they prefer more relationships born out of association, which is another problem. You can make friends around the world on social networking sites (SNS), but they are not the people in your immediate vicinity who can help you during disasters like earthquakes and storms. People living in your community are also essential, so having a balance of both is very important.

Weak and diverse ties

ーー “What direction should we take if there is a decline in existing relationships in the community and relationships based only on association are not enough?”

　An American sociologist, M. Granovetter points out the significance of "weak ties." Occasionally meeting people who hold different values from you is actually very helpful. Of course, strong bonds are important, but weak ties can also improve your health and quality of life (QOL). Having routines and doing activities such as volunteering and participating in local community events, more than 5 times a week can be beneficial to your health.



ーー “You're also researching on building relationships within one's area, right?”

　I am investigating what type of social exchanges "available within the vicinity" are effective for the elderly who are living in the city. Some examples are exercise, tea parties, and interacting with younger folks.



ーー “Are there any results from interventions?”

　It will take time to inspect the efficiency of interventions if we consider the large scale of surveying a specific area. However, the present administration has been actively conducting diverse and interesting programs in various places. I am also expecting to see more results.

　Social relationships have also changed because people have been forced to self-isolate due to the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. It is precisely in this time that we have the chance to examine the importance of our relationships. As a doctor, I advise patients, especially the elderly, to keep a close eye on social isolation and loneliness.



Source: https://medical-tribune.co.jp/rensai/2020/0729531070/