WDI offers support to Ms Shono Yoriko in Japan

WDI and our supporters all over the world offer support and solidarity to Ms Shono Yoriko, a distinguished Japanese writer who is suffering unacceptable abuse, smears and cancellation for defending women’s sex-based rights. We call on the literary establishment in Japan to condemn Ms Shono’s treatment and offer her their support.

Ms Shono is a historic figure in the world of Japanese literature, whose work has been translated into multiple languages. She has won several famous awards for Japanese literary fiction, including the Akutagawa Award.

She recently wrote an article in a literary journal on the issue of transgenderism around the world, and this led to unfounded accusations of discrimination and bigotry from queer theory proponents, and caused her longstanding publisher to drop her as an author.

Freedom of expression is vital in a democratic society. Women and girls cannot participate in public life without the right to express themselves freely and without fear. WDI supports the right of writers to express their opinions on the harmful effects of ‘gender identity’ ideology and sex-based discrimination. Article 4 of the Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights affirms women’s rights to freedom of opinion and freedom of expression.

Ms Shono's book, Shono Yoriko’s Banned Novels, on ‘gender identity’ ideology was published on 8 May 2022. She dedicates the book to the freedom of expression that is stipulated in the Constitution of Japan.