Kishida meets with LGTBI rights groups in an attempt to silence criticism

17 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, has met this Friday with several groups in defense of the rights of the LGTBI community in an attempt to silence criticism more than a week after a former government adviser made comments against equal marriage.

Kishida has thus apologized to those present for the “extremely inappropriate” words of the adviser, now dismissed, Masayoshi Arai, who pointed out that he “would not want to live next door” to an LGTBI couple and that he would even “hate to see them”, according to information from the newspaper ‘The Japan Times’.

The Japanese president has tried to dispel criticism as pressure mounts on the government to introduce a series of legislation aimed at protecting the rights of the LGTBI community ahead of the G7 summit in May.

“We must respect diversity and make efforts to achieve a society in which people can enjoy diverse ways of life,” he asserted. Kishida himself signed a document last year during the G7 summit in Germany affirming “shared values” with other member states and pledging to “ensure that everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation, has the same opportunities.”

However, Japan remains the only country in the group that does not recognize equal marriage and does not have legislation prohibiting discrimination against this community.