Queer Migration and Drag in Japan

Queer Migration and Drag in Japan: Queering Identity, Participation and Belonging explores how queer migration intersects with drag performance in Japan, illuminating the intricate interplay between gender, embodiment, and identity.

The book follows migrant drag artists as they build lives and stages in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. Drawing on interviews, ethnography, and collaborative tojisha research, the book explores questions of identity and belonging, and traces how performers – by shifting between insider and outsider positions – reclaim the “gaijin” (foreigner) label, navigate rigid work–family structures, and build coalitions linking Japan’s bars to a booming global drag economy.

Queer Migration and Drag in Japan: Queering Identity, Participation and Belonging is ideal for both students and researchers in gender studies, migration, Japanese studies, and performance studies.