Squaring the Circle of Same-Sex Marriage in Japan
The prime minister has been drawn into an unwanted debate on marriage equality ahead of the G-7 summit. Could he turn it into an opportunity?
So brave.
Photographer: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/Getty Images
Japan doesn’t tend to do social change quickly — or in public.
It’s all the more unusual a recent confluence of events that has brought a discussion on the acceptance of the LGBT community to the fore. After an aide to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a homophobic comment in a meeting with reporters, the prime minister has been pushing a bill aimed at preventing discrimination against the LGBTQ community — a legislative fig leaf ahead of the Group of Seven summit in May, where the host, Japan, will be the only member that doesn’t permit same-sex marriage.