Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Fumio Kishida apologizes for a former aide’s discriminatory comments toward sexual minorities at a Lower House Budget Committee session Feb. 8. (Koichi Ueda)

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reiterated Feb. 8 his stated belief that discrimination against sexual minorities has no place in the modern age, but he refused to expand on his previous comment that same-sex marriage is a topic that “will change society.”

Kishida was caught up in heated discussions with lawmakers at a Lower House Budget Committee session over homophobic remarks made by his key aide last week.

Speaking off the record with reporters Feb. 3, Masayoshi Arai, who was Kishida’s speechwriter and executive secretary in charge of media relations, said he could not stand looking at sexual minorities or even contemplate living next to gay people.

A furor erupted and Kishida fired Arai the following day.

During the Feb. 8 meeting, Ichiro Miyashita, a lawmaker of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, asked Kishida his views on sexual minorities.

The prime minister replied: “My government aims at sustainable and inclusive society that accepts diversity. There should never be unfair discrimination and prejudice on grounds of sexual orientation or sexual identity. We must aim at creating a society where diversity is respected, everyone appreciates each other’s human rights and dignity, and is able to live their lives to full.”

During the session, Kishida again apologized for his former aide’s comments, saying, “I dismissed him from the role of the prime minister’s secretary because the remarks were totally incompatible with the government’s policies and completely inexcusable.”

Kishida also referred to a section of his book published in 2020 in which he referred to people from all walks of life, including LGBTs, playing active roles in society.

“I myself was a minority when I was an elementary school pupil in New York,” he added.

Kishida said his views on the issue of discrimination were formed by people he had met who felt they were “not able to use their abilities to the full because they were women, elderly or members of the LGBTQ community.”

He stressed that the economy and society are energized when people with diverse characteristics can actively play roles by making full use of their abilities.

During the session, Akiko Okamoto, a Lower House member of the leading opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, referred to Kishida’s recent comment on legalizing same-sex marriage.

Kishida said at a Feb. 1 session of the Lower House Budget Committee that legalizing same-sex marriage is a topic that “will change society.”

Okamoto demanded that Kishida apologize and retract the comment on grounds it had been received very negatively by gay people.

“Introducing the same-sex marriage system (to Japan) is an issue that concerns the basis of the public’s lives and is closely linked to each person’s perception of family,” Kishida said. “I made the comment in that sense, based on the understanding that (legalizing same-sex marriage) is a topic that widely concerns every person. I was neither saying something negative about it nor rejecting discussions about it.”

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