Male Homosexuality in Modern Japan

This work analyzes the range of contrasting images of the gay male body which occur thoughout Japanese popular culture, both mainstream and gay, in books, magazines, comics, newspapers, television, film and the Internet. It then relates these images to the experience of an interview sample of Japanese gay men. Three main media paradigms are highlighted: gay men as "woman-like" gender deviants, gay men as beautiful ideal lovers, and gay men as sex maniacs. The author aims to show that none of these representations related in any clear way to how gay men in Japan understand themselves. The book touches on a number of issues, including whether there can be a universal "gay identity" and whether or not strategies developed for increasing gay and lesbian visibility in western countries are appropriate to the social situation in Japan.