Japanese LGBT Consulting

[Japnese]

An image featuring a gay couple that was used in a 2005 Kodak product pamphlet.

Companies in the west have long known about the economic strength and loyalty of the LGBT community. In the United States alone, LGBT consumer spending power was approximately US$640 billion in 2006, and is estimated to exceed US$835 billion by 2011. Companies are also turning an eye to their own LGBT employees. More than half of FORTUNE 500 companies offer health benefits to domestic partners.

Why is it that companies doing business in Japan have no yet followed suit? It certainly isn’t for lack of a significant LGBT demographic. A recent survey by Pagenta estimates the Japanese lesbian and gay population alone at 2.74 million people with a combined annual purchasing power of 6.64 trillion yen--and that doesn’t even include bisexual and transgender people!

The reason why this lucrative niche market has been left virtually untouched is because, for a number of socio-cultural reasons, it is very difficult to access and to understand.

To help bridge this gap, Gay Japan News has partnered with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) to form Japan’s first ever chamber for sexual minorities: the Japan LGBT Community of Commerce(JLCC). The purpose of JLCC is to facilitate the growth and expansion of the LGBT economy in Japan.

Through JLCC, we are proud to offer a wide range of consulting services to companies that want to engage the Japanese LGBT community.

If your company wants to sell to the Japanese LGBT market, our Marketing Consulting can help. We can offer a means to reach this elusive community and to communicate with it effectively. We can also help develop products and tailor your advertising message.

Nearly all companies have LGBT employees. But if your company is doing business in Japan, chances are that your LGBT employees are still completely in the closet. Our Diversity Consulting can help you to reduce the productivity loss that results from actual and anticipated discrimination directed against your LGBT employees.

If you are interested in learning more about how JLCC can help your company successfully engage Japan’s LGBT community, please click [HERE] to contact us.

The National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) is the world’s largest LGBT chamber of commerce.It has 45 affiliates in the U.S. and 9 international affiliates. Its corporate partners are some of the biggest names in business, including IBM, Intel, Wal-Mart, Wells Fargo and Lehman Brothers.You can learn more about NGLCC by visiting their website (www.nglcc.org).

Gay Japan News is the largest and most respected source of LGBT news in Japan. It has a wealth of local knowledge about the Japanese LGBT community through its staff, volunteers, and extensive contacts throughout the many facets of the community.