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Media Representations of Sexual Diversity in Japanese Television Series: Visibility, Stereotypes and Spectacularization

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32870/mycp.v15i45.963

Keywords:

Japan, media representation, LGBTQIA , television series, diversity inclusion

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present the results of a qualitative study on the representation of sexual diversity as a protagonist in live-action and mainstream series produced in Japan between 2016 and 2022. An emerging case sample—nine titles—was selected, from which the gender identities and sexual orientations represented, as well as the general plot lines regarding diversity, were identified and problematized. It is found that the recurring element is male homosexuality, with an exploration of asexuality and transvestism. However, even in these contents, the representation of cisgender people and the romanticization of homosexuality among men as an element for the enjoyment of a female audience continue to dominate.

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Author Biography

Yunuen Ysela Mandujano-Salazar, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez

Yunuen Ysela Mandujano-Salazar is a Professor and researcher in the Department of Social Sciences at the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juarez (Mexico). She holds a Ph.D. in Social Sciences with a focus in Cultural Studies and a master’s degree in Studies of Asia and Africa specialty Japan. Her research interests include media discourses, identity construction, and Japanese contemporary culture and society. She is a member of the Mexican National System of Researchers (SNI). She has been awarded diverse grants from The Japan Foundation, including the Japanese Language Program for Specialists in Cultural and Academic Fields (2013) and the Japanese Studies Fellowship (2016 and 2020). Her most recent publications include ‘Media idols and the regime of truth about national identity in post-3.11 Japan’ in The Routledge Handbook of Japanese Media (2018), ‘Exploring the construction of adulthood and gender identity among single childfree people in Mexico and Japan’ in SAGE Open (2019), and ‘Pop idols, mediatized places and identity-oriented performances of fans as domestic tourists in Japan’ in The Routledge Companion to Media and Tourism (2020).

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Published

2026-08-27

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How to Cite

Mandujano-Salazar, Y. Y. (2026). Media Representations of Sexual Diversity in Japanese Television Series: Visibility, Stereotypes and Spectacularization. México Y La Cuenca Del Pacífico, 15(45), 61-83. https://doi.org/10.32870/mycp.v15i45.963

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 45 (2026): September-December

Section

Analysis

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