Mark Takano, a Japanese-American who is the first openly gay person of color to be elected to the U.S. Congress, urges Japan to join other Group of Seven nations in legally protecting LGBT people.

He calls on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to take a step forward and make Japan a country worthy of membership in the G-7.

The discriminatory comments made in February by Kishida’s former aide about sexual minorities drew attention overseas in countries including the United States.

Some say that Japan lags well behind other G-7 members in introducing systems to protect LGBT individuals.

Takano, a Democrat who promotes LGBT rights in Congress, shared his views on Japan’s situation concerning LGBT issues in a recent interview with The Asahi Shimbun. 

Excerpts from the interview follow: 

Question: You visited Japan in February. How did you feel about discussions in Japan on sexual minorities?

Takano: I’m of Japanese descent and the first person of color to be elected to Congress while being open about being LGBT. I believe that it was important for the Japanese public--especially young Japanese--to see somebody who looks like me speak out on the issue.

In Japan, I met with several members of the Diet, who were members of the LGBT caucus. During my visit, legally prohibiting discrimination against LGBT people was being discussed at the Diet.

Also, I was astounded to read the poll that showed that more than half of the Japanese public supports such legislative measure or even same-sex marriages. So, my general impressions are that there's tremendously exciting changes happening in Japan right now.

Q: Masayoshi Arai, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s former senior executive secretary, was dismissed from his job after making homophobic remarks about sexual minorities and same-sex marriages. He said he would not want to live next to sexual minorities.

A: Those were really outrageous remarks.

And they came from a very high-ranking government official, not an ordinary Japanese individual. He also claimed that everybody else around him agrees with him.

He later pulled back from that statement, but he was not fired. He's gone back to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and he can work in a future administration.

His remarks are all the more reason why non-discrimination laws with teeth need to be implemented in Japan to protect LGBT people in the workplace and other aspects of their existence.

Q: Japan is the only G-7 member that hasn’t introduced same-sex marriage or a civil partnership system that grants same-sex couples rights equivalent to those given by marriages at a national level. Kishida said legalizing same-sex marriage would fundamentally change society.

A: Of the G-7 nations, Japan is an outlier in that it neither has legal protections for LGBT people (at a national level) nor recognizes same-sex marriages.

That also impacts attracting the most talented people to work in Japan, especially in the innovative professions. Innovation comes from the best people being able to work.

There are so many LGBT people in technology but they will be impeded from being able to work and live in Japan because of the non-legal recognition of their relationships.

If a Japanese national marries someone of the same sex overseas, they have no way to have their spouses join them in Japan, as the law works against them. This is unjust to the Japanese and it's also cruel and inhumane to keep people apart.

And we, as allies, need to be able to find ways to be closer to one another (on this issue).

But the polling already indicates the Japanese people have favorable attitudes toward LGBT people. I believe Japan has already fundamentally changed. It's the government that has not kept up with that change.

Q: Kishida supports passing the proposed bill to promote understanding of the LGBT community. But some in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party are cautious about phrases in the bill such as “discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity is unacceptable.” Organizations supporting LGBT people argue the bill should ban such discrimination.

A: That was brought up to me by the chairman of the LGBT caucus. Now is not the time for a symbolic measure (such as promoting the understanding of LGBT people).

I think the activists in Japan are absolutely correct in seeking non-discrimination against LGBT people. What is needed are legal protections of the basic rights of LGBT people so that they can avoid harassment or unfair treatment at school or the workplace.

Japanese people are far ahead of the government. If more than half of the people approve a certain issue in my own districts here in America, I would be quite confident that it's time to move forward on the issue. I think it's a very small minority within the LDP that is stopping Japan from emerging as the nation that they already are.

Q: Japan will host the G-7 Summit in Hiroshima in May. How would you like Kishida to take steps on this issue?

A: Japan should be joining other G-7 nations in offering its LGBT citizens basic protections in the law. So, I think Japan should be eager to be more like the G-7. I do hope that Prime Minister Kishida will take a step and I don't even think it’s a bold step. The G-7 summit is a perfect moment for Japan to take this step.

(This article is based on an interview by Ryo Kiyomiya and Hirotsugu Mochizuki in Washington. Aidan Lilienfeld, a staff reporter at The Asahi Shimbun’s American General Bureau, contributed to the article.)