A Japanese women’s university said Tuesday it would admit transgender students who were born male but identify as female, a rare move in a country where LGBT rights lag behind other developed nations.

An official at the education ministry said the move by Ochanomizu University in Tokyo was “likely unprecedented”, though he could not confirm if it was a national first, and praised the decision.

“It is desirable that many universities take steps in the direction of understanding the needs of sexual minorities, though making such a decision is up to each university,” he said.

A university spokesman said the policy would come into force from 2020, and would apply to would-be students who were born male but identify as female.

The move by the university, which was Japan’s first institution of higher education for women and opened in 1875, comes as many local private universities are reportedly weighing a similar policy, following in the footstep of American schools. Read more via South China Morning Post