日本語

It is reported that Secretary to the Prime Minister Masayoshi Arai made discriminatory remarks about sexual minorities, saying, "I don't even want to look at them. I don't even want to live next door to them". Prime Minister Kishida has also stated that "society will change if same-sex marriage is allowed".

The "G7 Hiroshima Summit" will be held this year, and Japan is the only G7 country without LGBTQ related legislation. Can we just let the ouster of Secretary Arai be the end of the matter? We call on the Kishida administration to put in place legislation for the protection of human rights of LGBTQ+ people.

It is reported that Masayoshi Arai, secretary to the prime minister, said of sexual minorities, "I don't like to look at them either. If we allow same-sex marriage, there will be people who will abandon the country. The influence on society will be huge. It will only bring a negative impact. The secretary's office is also against it".

Secretary Arai's statement is an inexcusable discriminatory remark. It is only natural that Mr. Arai retracted his statements and that Prime Minister Kishida removed him from office. However, if we draw the curtain on this issue by the removal of Mr. Arai only, the same kind of discrimination will surely be repeated in the future.

Secretary Arai is said to have served as a speechwriter for Prime Minister Kishida and was tasked with presenting the administration's opinions. Some of his statements include phrases such as, "The secretary's office and everyone in it is against it," and Prime Minister Kishida has also stated that "society will change" with regard to same-sex marriage. Therefore, it is not surprising that the entire government, including Prime Minister Kishida, is implementing policies based on such discriminatory perspectives.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Kishida said that Secretary Arai's comments "are completely incompatible with the administration's policy of respecting diversity and to aim for an inclusive society, it is outrageous”. He added, "There should be no unfair discrimination or prejudice on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). I feel responsible for my decision to appoint Secretary Arai.

Furthermore, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara said in an NHK discussion program, "We are taking this extremely seriously" and "The government is committed to working to restore trust.

Although the "G7 Hiroshima Summit" is scheduled to be held in May, Japan is now the only country without an "LGBT anti-discrimination law" and "legal protection for same-sex couples", and that "remains inhumane requirements regarding legal gender recognition.

The rate of suicide attempts among sexual minorities has been found to be many times higher than that of their cisgender/heterosexual counterparts, and the government has identified sexual minorities as a "high-risk group" regarding suicide.

However, with the current situation in which the human rights of sexual minorities are not being protected, even if the Prime Minister Kishida removed secretary Arai from his post, saying that he respects human rights, it would only be a repeat of what has happened before. The government will never be able to regain trust.

We believe that a country that does not protect the human rights of sexual minorities, but rather actively promotes discrimination against them by those in power, is not qualified to hold the G7 Hiroshima Summit as the chairing country.

Dear Prime Minister Kishida, please change Japan to a society without discrimination towards sexual minorities.

We call on the Kishida administration to urgently enact legislation on LGBT anti-discrimination laws (laws prohibiting discriminatory treatment on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity), same-sex marriage (marriage equality), and the elimination of inhumane requirements regarding legal gender recognition (revision or establishment of a new legislation for Act on Special Cases in Handling Gender Status of Persons with Gender Identity Disorder).