Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with representatives of LGBTQ groups on Friday and apologized for discriminatory comments made by his former aide that sparked outrage across the country and called on the government to guarantee equal rights.
Comments by former Kishida aide Masayoshi Arai to reporters earlier this month that he would not want to live alongside LGBTQ people and that citizens would leave Japan if same-sex marriages were allowed sparked new demands that the government adopt an anti-discrimination law.
Kishida said Arai’s comment was “considered unfair discrimination and extremely inappropriate” and offered an apology to LGBTQ activists in person: “I sincerely apologize for making all of you here and many other people uncomfortable.”
He also appointed former Justice Minister Masako Mori on Friday as his special assistant in charge of promoting understanding of LGBTQ people, and she joined the meeting.
JAPAN FIRES ASSISTANT FOR ANTI-LGBTQ COMMENTS: ‘INCREDIBLE’
Kishida quickly fired Arai, his former assistant, after he made the comments. But the prime minister’s own previous comments, including that allowing same-sex marriage would change societal and family values and should be carefully considered, were also seen as an indication of his reluctance to promote equal rights for LGBTQ people despite their promise to create an inclusive society. and diverse society.
Activists are now urging the government to enact anti-discrimination legislation before Japan hosts a summit of the Group of Seven industrialized countries in May in Hiroshima. Japan is the only member of the G-7 that has not recognized same-sex marriage or enacted an anti-discrimination law for LGBTQ people.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, center left, poses with leaders of LGBTQ groups. Kishida apologized to the leadership for the discriminatory comments made by his former aide at the prime minister’s office in Tokyo on February 17, 2023. (Kyodo News via AP)
While polls show growing public support for same-sex unions, government efforts to support sexual diversity have been slow in Japan and legal protections for sexual minorities are still lacking. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people often face discrimination at school, work, and at home in Japan, causing many to hide their sexual identities.
US AMBASSADOR TO JAPAN HAS ‘FULL CONFIDENCE’ THAT JAPANESE GOVERNMENT WILL BAN DISCRIMINATION AGAINST LGBTQ PEOPLE
Campaigns for equal rights for LGBTQ people have been particularly blocked by conservatives in Kishida’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The party quashed an attempt to enact an equality awareness law ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Amid criticism over the discriminatory comments, Kishida has instructed his ruling party to begin preparing legislation to promote greater understanding of sexual minorities, but ultra-conservatives in the party have already shown resistance. Activists say that simply promoting awareness is not enough.
Gon Matsunaka, head of Pride House Tokyo, told reporters after the meeting that Kishida said he hoped to take the issue one step at a time and that “we expressed our wish that more views of the (LGBTQ) community would be absorbed and our opinions heard.” stories”. “
Yuichi Kamiya, executive director of the Japan Alliance for LGBT Legislation, said he expected a move toward equal rights to “drastically accelerate.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
More than 200 local municipalities, including Tokyo, have introduced partnership certificates for same-sex couples, allowing them to rent apartments and sign documents in medical emergencies and inheritances. But the certificates are not legally binding and same-sex couples often cannot visit the hospital or access other services available to married couples.
During the meeting on Friday, Kishida sought the views of LGBTQ representatives, saying more efforts are needed “to achieve a diverse society where everyone respects the human rights and dignity of others and can live a fulfilling life.”
