An aide to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been fired for making derogatory remarks about LGBTQ couples.
Masayoshi Arai, the executive secretary to the prime minister, was responding to comments made by Kishida regarding whether parliament would take action to legalize same-sex marriage.
The prime minister — whose socially conservative Liberal Democratic Party officially opposes same-sex marriage — said that any legislation on the topic would have to be handled delicately because of its potential impact on traditional family structures.
Following Kishida’s remarks, Arai told reporters that he “wouldn’t like it if [same-sex] couples lived next door,” adding that he “doesn’t even want to look at them,” according to Kyodo News.
Arai also said that legalizing same-sex nuptials would “change the way society is” and predicted that “quite a few people would abandon this country” if parliament took such action.
Japanese society has long embraced the idea of traditional gender roles and family structure. Currently, Japan is the only G7 nation whose government does not recognize same-sex marriage.
However, recent polling suggests that cultural shifts in Japan have led to an increase in support for same-sex nuptials, especially among younger generations.
According to a survey from the Mainichi newspaper and Saitama University conducted between November 2021 and January 2022, 71% of respondents aged 18-29 said that same-sex marriage should be legalized. However, that number falls to 25% among those aged 70 or above — who comprise close to 1 out of every 4 people in the aging country.
Several same-sex couples have filed lawsuits challenging the country’s prohibition of same-sex marriage as unconstitutional.
Kishida called Aria’s remarks “outrageous” and “completely incompatible” with his government’s policies, according to the BBC.
“We…
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