What is needed for Japan's sex education to change

Our previous article, "Schools for Women and Graduate Programs Studying Sex as Science: Discoveries in Sweden," introduced places where anyone can openly and casually learn about sex or gender, regardless of biological sex, age, nationality, or disability.

Now, a year and a half after our 2022 autumn research, Sumire Sugii of the Sexology Creative Lab and Kazuko Fukuda, representative of the #WhyNot Project who visited Sweden again in autumn 2023, share their latest insights from Sweden and reflect on Japan's future.

*Full report here
 

Sweden After a Year: Sexual Consent Now in School Curricula

Sugi: I heard you visited Sweden again in the fall of 2023, your first trip in a year. Did you learn anything new? I'd like to know about Sweden today.

Fukuda: This time, I visited a high school. I went to Friskhögskolan (※2), which is probably Sweden's largest youth center (※1) and also houses a high school. There, I observed a class using the original video teaching material " Do You Want to?" about sexual consent, which I had seen last year at the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education (RFSU). It was my first time seeing sex education in a Swedish high school, and it was truly shocking. During the discussion, everyone just talked so much. It's probably not just sex education classes, but I was surprised by how relaxed and lively the discussions were.

※1 Youth Center = A "third place" for youth (mainly middle and high school students), neither school nor home. It serves as a venue for youth groups' leisure activities.
※2 Fryshuset = One of the largest youth centers in Scandinavia. Its main campus includes large-scale facilities like a sports arena, event hall, concert hall, skateboard park, and a school. It has branches and networks across Europe.
 

Sugii: (After watching the class video) These are high school students, right? Wow, they're really engaged without being rowdy. I've never seen a health class where opinions fly around like this. Specifically, what kind of lessons do you conduct?

Fukuda: The teacher shows video materials and asks questions like, "What do you think about this?" or "How do you confirm consent?" Students raise their hands to answer. It was a class where they thought for themselves, discussed with peers and teachers, and engaged in mutual communication.

Sugii: Have Swedish schools always taught sexual consent in sex education classes?

Fukuda: No, it's only recently that sexual consent became a mandatory part of the curriculum. Following changes to the national criminal law regarding sexual offenses in 2018, the content of compulsory education sex education also changed, making teaching about sexual consent mandatory in all schools.

It's thought that the criminal law was amended due to various movements, including the #MeToo movement that happened around the same time, and the outcry from the Swedish NPO "FATTA!" following a particular sex crime incident.

Sugii: Wow, such significant changes have happened in just the last few years. The law changed, and education changed.

An environment where you can truly feel "protected," not just hear it said

Sugii: Besides high schools, what other places did you visit in Sweden?

Fukuda: We also visited a youth clinic (※3) in the town of Värmdö, about an hour by train from Stockholm. It's a youth clinic right in front of the high school in this small town, and the people working there and the atmosphere were really wonderful. It really struck me again how impressive it is that these high-quality, reassuring facilities are available not just in central areas but also in the regions.

※3 Youth Clinic = A public facility operated by local governments. National guidelines mandate the presence of a midwife, social counselor, or psychologist on staff, along with a part-time doctor.

Sugii: Having one right in front of the high school is really great. Even if you haven't used it, knowing where it is when you might need it someday is incredibly reassuring! What other facilities did you visit?

Fukuda: I also visited an organization focused on preventing domestic violence among teens. They provide DV prevention education while protecting and caring for children suffering from trauma related to self-harming sex or transactional sexual acts. They offer services like chat counseling for issues like dating violence. Professional psychologists provide support, and for those needing serious care, they have systems in place for professional counseling and therapy.

In Japan, counseling is generally very expensive, and there are few people who can provide trauma therapy in the first place. In Sweden, it's available for free, and I thought that environment was wonderful.

Sugii: That's amazing. They're protected in so many ways. You can really feel that the sense of being valued isn't just lip service.

Fukuda: Yes, the safety net is well-established, covering healthcare and sexual violence. I think that's incredibly important. This organization has received multiple awards among Swedish NGOs and is recognized for its vital work. It's not just this group; various organizations and sectors are each engaged in different activities.

Sugii: Exactly. It's not something just one place can handle. We can't just leave it to healthcare or the government. If the advertising industry pretends it's none of its business, the environment won't change at all. We need to find what we can do within our own sector.

Differences in Educational Policies Between Scandinavia and Japan

Fukuda: We discussed how facilities and services in Scandinavia protect each individual's human rights. Beyond that, I believe there's much to learn from their educational approach as well.

Sugii: It's not just about the hardware, but the software – the beliefs and philosophies individuals hold. I'd like to hear more about that.

Fukuda: Let's start with Japan's current situation. What surprised me recently was hearing about cram schools for kindergarten and elementary school entrance exams. As exam practice, they're told to walk when told to walk, stop when told to stop, and aren't even allowed to drink water freely during class. If they stray slightly from the line, they're asked, "Who are you inconveniencing?" This is about pre-schoolers, and obviously not all places are like this. But having been born and raised in Japan, educated here, I do feel that conforming to others – even blindly – was valued more than having your own opinions.

On the other hand, studying abroad introduced me to a completely opposite world. There, speaking up and engaging is paramount—ideally, you listen, identify gaps, and ask critical questions. If you just sit silently and obey, you're seen as unthinking and disengaged, which can actually be a negative.

Sugii: That might indeed be a major difference between Japanese education and that in Western countries. Since your personality is shaped based on what you learn as a child, suddenly being told about "rights" or "freedom" as an adult leaves you unsure how to respond... Improving the education received in childhood is necessary, alongside developing facilities and services. We need to change both wheels simultaneously.

Fukuda: I agree. What struck me most during my trip to Scandinavia was the importance of first knowing your own feelings—whether you dislike something, whether you like it, what makes you happy—and then clearly expressing them. Otherwise, nothing can be resolved. The #MeToo movement has brought the term "sexual consent" into wider use in Japan too. But if the core of our education still values "conforming to the group" as the norm, telling people to practice sexual consent just doesn't feel real or meaningful.

The experience of having your own voice truly heard is the foundation of human rights and democracy.

Sugii: That's right. The concept of "sexual consent" is truly wonderful, but I really feel we're not accustomed to conveying our true feelings directly to others.

Fukuda: Sex education classes are important, of course, but I believe the experience of realizing that your own voice matters – that speaking up actually makes a difference – is itself a real education in human rights and democracy.

Sugii: It's such a shame that early childhood education sometimes becomes this kind of rigid, formulaic teaching. But even though it's aimed at middle and high school students, there's been a movement in Japan lately to change absurd school rules. That campaign by the hair care brand questioning hairstyle regulations also got a lot of attention.

Fukuda: It's incredibly heartening that campaign received such positive feedback. When we were university students, we were told things like, "If you speak up, you won't get a job." The fact that society has started to recognize, "Actually, this might be strange," and that momentum is building for more people to follow suit is truly remarkable. I believe there are still many unreasonable practices not just in schools, but in companies too. It would be wonderful if experiences where people feel their voices are heard and valued increased in more places.

Sugii: Since then, job search sites have created ads prompting reflection on workplace gender gaps, and I feel values are gradually updating. While I'm overwhelmed by how well-developed both the hardware and software are in Scandinavia, this country is also moving in a better direction, I believe. We've seen what advertising can achieve, so we'll keep pushing forward!

Data might be what drives society forward from here.

Sugi: We've covered a lot, but are there other things you felt were important?

Fukuda: Research and data. Like any country, Sweden places particular importance on data. Every policy and initiative is implemented in collaboration with universities and research institutes, emphasizing data-driven approaches. (See Part 1 and Part 2 of this series fordetails.)

This is mentioned in the book "The Invisible Women." According to Swedish municipal data, falls are the most common accidents on snowy days, occurring about three times more frequently than car accidents. And it's mostly women who fall, incurring significant medical costs. The reason is that compared to men, who often commute only by car, women frequently use public transportation and walk on narrow roads—roads that get shoveled last—for shopping or taking children to and from places. Consequently, the medical costs incurred were about four times the cost of snow removal. As a solution, they changed the snow removal priority: first, roads leading to daycare centers; next, major workplaces with many women, like hospitals and public sector facilities; and finally, the main streets.

As a result, the number of people requiring hospital care due to falls on snowy days decreased significantly. While the cost of snow removal remained unchanged, healthcare costs decreased, making it a net positive overall. This is a perfect example of how combining data with a gender perspective led to solving a problem. Gender equality itself is fundamentally a human right, but this story also proves that gender equality is crucial when considering policy efficiency and quality. That's why I really like this story. Many people say securing basic necessities like food, clothing, and shelter comes first, and gender issues can wait. But securing those very necessities requires a gender perspective. Data like this is incredibly persuasive. It really made me realize how crucial data truly is.

Claudia Goldin, the economist who won the Nobel Prize in 2023, also presented data showing that after the pill became available in the US, it had a tremendously positive effect on American women's university enrollment and entry into the workforce. Because the pill allowed women to control their own bodies, unwanted dropouts and marriages decreased significantly. More women were able to maintain their life plans and navigate their paths. The conclusion is that the pill has brought tremendous positive change to women's participation in society and their lives, and this is highly persuasive because it's backed by data. For example, if there were habits like visiting youth clinics or healthcare providers, it might reduce future medical costs. I'm currently thinking that if we could visualize such things with data and create data-driven policies, that would be ideal.

On the other hand, people in vulnerable positions in society aren't always captured in data, or are difficult to see through data. And just because a group is small doesn't automatically mean it's a problem we can ignore. So we shouldn't become data absolutists, but I think it's crucial to produce and visualize data as much as possible.

Sugii: I think we heard something very important. Both the hardware (medical systems, care organizations, youth clinics, and other facilities/services) and the software (education that makes people feel valued and that their voices matter) are crucial. On top of that, the importance of data. It made me realize again that advertising isn't something distant; there are things we can do within our sector too. Thank you for sharing your valuable insights.

The website summarizing this Nordic study tour, which Mr. Fukuda accompanied, is here