A group of people with gender identity disorder and their supporters in Japan is asking for the abolishment of a requirement for surgery to remove reproductive functions in order to make gender changes on the family registry.

The Japan Alliance for LGBT Legislation held a news conference on Tuesday, one day ahead of a Supreme Court hearing on the constitutionality of the requirement.

Kimoto Kanata, who was born female but changed gender on their family register to male after undergoing sex change surgery, spoke at the conference.

Kimoto said that the surgery to remove reproductive functions cost about 13,000 dollars, and that he would not have undergone it if it was not needed to change the registry.

Kimoto said that the country should not make decisions about a person's body, adding that he hopes for a society in which people can live with the gender of their choice.

Sugiyama Fumio, who is registered as a female but living as a man, has not undergone the surgery to remove the uterus or ovaries. Sugiyama said people should have the choice of whether or not to receive the procedure, but the current law effectively forces it on those who may not want it. He added that it is a violation of human rights.

Okayama University Professor Nakatsuka Mikiya, who is the head of the Japanese Society of Gender Identity Disorder, said he had met many people with the disorder. He said some people want the surgery, while some don't. Others cannot undergo it for medical reasons. He stressed that people should be able to decide for themselves about the procedure.