Marumi Yamazaki rose to prominence in Japan as a soccer midfielder and even earned multiple appearances with the national team. On New Year’s Day, Yamazaki surprised his own fans: on social media, the 35-year-old revealed that he is transgender.
“This time I found the courage to tell all of you. It’s been a while, but I changed my gender marker in the family registry, I became a man, and I married a truly wonderful woman!” Yamazaki wrote on Instagram. He posted three photos depicting himself and his new wife at their wedding. Their faces were blurred in the images.
He hadn’t planned a public coming-out, but about a year after he had privately disclosed his identity, he decided to share his truth with the fans. With that, he hoped to give courage and hope to others who find themselves in a similar situation.
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Yamazaki played for various Japanese clubs from 2006 to 2023, and after his retirement spent a year playing futsal, i.e., indoor soccer. In 2013, the midfielder also appeared four times for Japan’s women’s national team.
Japan: Transgender Recognition Remains Complicated
In Japan, the recognition of transgender people is far more complicated than in many other places—and it only became legally possible in 2003. A person must be an adult and have no minor children. In addition, two diagnoses of gender dysphoria must be issued by two different doctors. For recognition, a gender-affirming operation is also required. Only then can a court approve changing the gender marker on official records.
It wasn’t until 2023, after a ruling by Japan’s Supreme Court, that the obligation for transgender people to undergo sterilization in order to have their gender recognized was lifted (TheColu.mn reported). Civil rights and LGBTQ organizations have been calling on Tokyo for years to liberalize the law—and to drop the mandatory review. Human Rights Watch and other groups have also criticized the ban on parents of underage children from changing their child’s gender designation as discriminatory and outdated.
Since the legalization of transgender status, a little over 10,000 people have changed their gender marker in Japan over the past roughly two decades. (dk)
