While the Equal Employment Opportunity Law (Japanese: ?????????) has been revised several times over the years to address sex discrimination and harassment in the workplace, the government has refused to expand the law to address discrimination against gender or sexual identity. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has passed legislation banning discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Companies in Japan consisting of ten or more employees are required to establish work regulations. In January 2018, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare revised the Model Rules of Employment (???????) which "stands as the example framework for work regulations", to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and "gender identification". Article 15 reads: In addition to what are provided for from Article 12 to the preceding paragraph, employees are prohibited from any other forms of harassment at the workplace that are damaging to the work environment of other employees such as by way of speech or behaviour related to sexual orientation or gender identification.

Laws in force in Japan do not offer protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in employment. In 2019, Japan amended its labor policy law to prevent workplace harassment, but the law only mandates the prevention of harassment and is not an inclusive law protecting individuals from discrimination based on SOGI. October 2018, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly passed a law prohibiting all discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The law, which took effect in April 2019, also commits the Metropolitan Government to raise awareness of LGBT people and "conduct measures needed to make sure human rights values are rooted in all corners of the city". The law outlaws expressing hateful rhetoric in public. Prior to this, the wards of Shibuya and Setagaya had already passed explicit protections for LGBT people. basis of sexual orientation. In March 2019, legislation banning discrimination against "sexual minorities" was passed in Ibaraki Prefecture. In April 2022, legislation prohibiting discrimination among others sexual orientation and gender identity came into operation in Akita Prefecture.

In a 2008 report by the UN Human Rights Committee, they expressed concern about discrimination against LGBT people in several areas, including employment. Employement Discrimination protections only in Tokyo and Ibaraki.