"The government should not support sexual minority couples, Can't Bear Children"

 

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida walks with then-executive secretary Masayoshi Arai at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo last November. | KYODO

 

 

"It is not desirable for any officials in posts like mine to say such a thing," he said.

Many members of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party led by Kishida have opposed same-sex marriage, citing what they say are the country's traditional values such as the role of women in raising children.

Arai's comments are likely to prompt the left-leaning opposition bloc to grill Kishida over his fundamental views on families in Japan during the current parliamentary session, which began on Jan. 23, observers said.

Late last year, the LGBT issue drew fresh attention when LDP lawmaker Mio Sugita, then-parliamentary vice minister for internal affairs and communications, was compelled to retract past remarks against sexual minority couples.

Sugita, who was effectively sacked by Kishida in December, had come under fire in 2018 for saying in a magazine article that the government should not support sexual minority couples because they cannot bear offspring and thus are "not productive."

Japan remains the only Group of Seven nation that does not recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions.

Kishida, meanwhile, has promised to focus on improving child care in 2023, while it is still unclear how the administration would cover the costs of implementing the proposed measures.

Arai's remarks also came on the heels of news that Shotaro Kishida, the prime minister's eldest son, and his executive secretary, had found himself in the hot seat over media reports that he went shopping and sightseeing in Europe, Canada, and the U.S. using official vehicles when he accompanied his father there in January.

The Japan Times

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