LGBTQ Organizations Call On Japanese Government To Adopt Same-Sex Marriage Law

Japanese LGBTQ activists have denounced a homophobic remark made by a senior aide to prime minister Fumio Kishida and demanded that his administration pass laws outlawing discrimination against sexual minorities, legalizing same-sex unions, and ensuring equal rights before Japan hosts the Group of Seven summit in May.

Their remarks were in response to those made last week by Mr. Kishida’s aide Masayoshi Arai, who was fired after telling reporters he wouldn’t want to live next to LGBTQ people and that people would leave Japan if same-sex marriage was legalized.

Despite Mr. Kishida’s prompt response, a statement the prime minister made earlier in the week sparked concerns about his intentions regarding sexual minorities.

Mr. Kishida responded to a query from an opposition politician in parliament said whether to allow same-sex marriage is “an issue that must be examined extremely carefully”.

A decision requires a thorough examination of all of society “because the issue may change the concept of family and values as well as society,” he said.

At Tuesday’s news conference, LGBTQ activists and their supporters said while Mr. Arai’s remarks displayed outright prejudice against sexual minorities, Mr. Kishida’s comments suggested his reluctance to tackle the issue despite his earlier pledge to create an inclusive and diverse society.

“Discriminatory remarks by the prime minister’s aide made it clear to the rest of the world that Japan is a country that does not care about the rights of sexual minorities,” said Takako Uesugi, a lawyer, and director of Marriage For All Japan, an organization campaigning for the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Noting that Japan is the only member of the Group of Seven advanced industrialized nations that lacks a law protecting the rights of sexual minorities, she said: “We must say Japan is not fit to lead the G7 summit if we leave the situation unaddressed.”

They demanded the government immediately begin the process of legalizing same-sex marriage, establish a working team to study ways to guarantee the rights of sexual minorities, appoint an aide to the prime minister who specializes in sexual minorities’ rights, and include statistics on same-sex couples in the national census.

Support for sexual diversity has grown slowly in Japan and legal protections are still lacking for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

They often face discrimination at school, work and at home, causing many to hide their sexual identities.

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In recent years, more than 200 local municipalities, including Tokyo, have introduced certificates of partnerships for same-sex couples allowing them to rent apartments and sign documents in medical emergencies, and for inheritance.

Still, the certificates are not legally binding and same-sex couples are often barred from visiting each other in the hospital and from getting access to other services available to married couples.

Campaigns for equal rights for sexual minorities have faced resistance from conservatives in Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s governing Liberal Democratic Party. An attempt to enact an equality awareness promotion law ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics was quashed by the party.