Publishers of elementary school textbooks in Japan have included LGBT information in the latest editions of their books.

Two out of five government-accredited publishers have included content on sexuality and gender identity, according to NHK.

The books teach that people may be attracted to people of the same sex.

They also explain how different gender identities should be respected.

High school textbooks in Japan began including LGBTI information in 2017. Junior-high school textbooks began in 2018.

But, according to Human Rights Watch, Japan’s official curriculum says ‘when in puberty…young people develop an interest in the opposite sex’.

In 2017, the government rejected to renew these guidelines. It said LGBTI-inclusive education was ‘difficult’ because ‘the public and guardians have not accepted’ this topic yet.

Prof. Masayuki Tanamura of Waseda University told NHK the new textbooks were ‘groundbreaking’. Masayuki Tanamura also called it a ‘first step’ towards LGBTI awareness.