TOKYO Kyodo Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Saturday that he has sacked his close aide because he made discriminatory remarks about sexual minorities, with public support for the Cabinet continuing to fall against a backdrop of unpopular policies and ministerial scandals.
Masayoshi Arai, an elite bureaucrat who had served as executive secretary to Kishida until Saturday, told reporters at the prime minister's office late Friday that he would not want to live next door to an LGBT couple and that he doesn't want to look at them. He said during an off-the- record conversation with reporters that if same-sex marriage is introduced in Japan, it will change the way society is and quite a few people would abandon this country. Kishida said at a press conference that Arai's remarks were completely unrelated to the policy of the Cabinet and that they have been respecting diversity and realizing an inclusive society. Arai's replacement has dealt a blow to the Cabinet, for which approval ratings are nearing what is widely seen as the danger level of 30 percent, after four ministers resigned over a two-month period last year due to various scandals and gaffes.
The popularity of the Kishida administration has decreased in the face of criticism that his plan to raise taxes to fund the defense budget has been put forward without a review of where savings could be made by cutting unnecessary spending.
Arai, a bureaucrat from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, later apologized and withdrew his comments after the Japanese media made them public. He said the remarks did not reflect Kishida's thinking.
The day after Arai's comments came to light, Kishida decided to replace him, who recently expressed wariness around introducing same-sex marriage to Japan. Arai will take over the ministry's personnel division, and Sadanori Ito will be the director of the ministry's personnel division.
Arai's comments came after Kishida sounded a cautious tone at a parliamentary session last week about recognizing same-sex marriage in line with other Group of Seven states that have already adopted the practice.
Kishida said that we need to be very careful in considering the matter, as it could affect the structure of family life in Japan. There have been several lawsuits across the nation by same-sex couples.
Japan has not legally recognized same-sex marriage, as many members of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, led by Kishida, oppose the concept, emphasizing the country's traditional values such as the role of women in giving birth and raising children.
The 150 day ordinary diet session began on January 23. Political experts said that the latest gaffes about LGBT people will likely prompt left-leaning opposition bloc lawmakers to grill Kishida over his views on family affairs in Japan.
Late last year, LGBT issues in Japan drew fresh attention as LDP lawmaker Mio Sugita, the then parliamentary vice minister for internal affairs and communications, was pressured to retract past remarks against sexual minority couples.
Sugita, who was sacked by Kishida in December, came 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 is the only G-7 nation that does not recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions.
Kishida promised to focus on child care in 2023, but it is not clear how the administration will cover the costs of implementing the proposed measures.