A transgender woman in Japan has received workers' compensation after she developed depression as a result of repeated verbal abuse from her boss.

Her lawyers stated at a news conference that her depression was recognized as work-related in June this year.

They say that the woman in her 40s was born a male, but, after she started working at a company in Kanagawa Prefecture for some time, she reported to her employer that she had started living in society as a woman.

The lawyers say her boss started making abusive remarks about her gender. She developed depression and was forced to take a few years off from work.

The labor standards office in Kanagawa found that her boss had asked her repeatedly if she was indeed registered as a woman in her official family record, and told her that she should behave more like a woman if she wanted to be seen as a woman. The boss also repeatedly used "he" in referring to her in the office.

Her lawyers pointed out that cases of workplace harassment over sexual orientation or gender identity of an employee have been grossly underreported in Japan, because people who suffer from this type of harassment often find it very difficult to speak out.

The transgender woman said she feels that most people are not even aware what constitutes harassment over someone's sexual orientation or gender identity.

She said it is important that a workplace should be a location where nobody will face harassment due to their sexual identity.