In a meeting with U.S. Special Envoy on Sexual Minorities, Jessica Stern, the head of Komeito, the junior coalition partner of Japan’s ruling party, agreed that Japan should enact a law promoting a better understanding of the LGBTQ community before the Group of Seven summit in May in Hiroshima. Natsuo Yamaguchi, the leader of Komeito, emphasized the importance of raising awareness about discrimination and the need for it to be tolerated.
Despite the recent firing of a close aide to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of the Liberal Democratic Party for discriminatory remarks against the LGBTQ community, the government’s stance toward Japan’s LGBTQ community remains a topic of concern. Japan is the only G7 nation that does not legally recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions, and many members of Kishida’s conservative LDP have opposed the idea, citing the country’s traditional values.
In response to these concerns, Komeito and some opposition parties are seeking to enact a law to facilitate the understanding of sexual minorities during the ongoing parliamentary session through June 21. The bill was previously aborted after the LDP’s leadership opposed it over the phrase “discrimination is unacceptable.” However, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel stressed the need to enact the law while the topic remains in the public eye.
