February 14, 2023
Watch: Japan LGBTQ+ Groups Demand Equal Rights Law by G7
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Japanese LGBTQ groups condemned a recent discriminatory remark by an aid to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, demanding his government ban discrimination against sexual minorities, legalize same-sex marriage and guarantee equal rights.
The calls for change come before the Group of Seven summit that Japan hosts in May asking the government to bring its human rights conditions equal to six other nations.
Their protest and demand Tuesday followed remarks last week by Kishida aide Masayoshi Arai, who was fired after reportedly saying he wouldn't want to live next LGBTQ people and that people would flee Japan if same-sex marriage was allowed.
In remarks reported by local media, Masayoshi Arai, an economy and trade official who joined Kishida's staff as a secretary in October, added he did not even want to look at same-sex couples.
Japan is the only G-7 nation that still bans same-sex marriage and lacks anti-discrimination law to guarantee equal rights of sexual minorities.
AP video shot by Kwiyeon Ha
