The documentary profiles a range of individuals in Japan who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ).

[4] Subjects are listed alphabetically by last name:[5] Rokudenashiko was interviewed for Queer Japan, though she does not appear in the film's final cut.

[6] Kolbeins conceived of Queer Japan in 2011 while traveling to Japan to research two books he co-edited with Anne Ishii and Chip Kidd: The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame, the first English-language publication of works by Gengoroh Tagame, and Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It, the first English-language anthology of gay manga.

[4] The books led Kolbeins and Ishii to found Massive Goods, a fashion brand and manga publisher that works with LGBTQ artists in Japan.

[7][8] As Kolbeins met LGBTQ artists and individuals through his work with Massive, he began to produce a documentary to highlight their stories,[7] stating that he wished to "give a voice to the everyday experiences of queer people without sensationalizing them.