TOKYO Kyodo discriminatory remarks against sexual minorities made by a now-sacked aide to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday, sparking fury and worry in the country on Saturday, a day after they were made public.
Members of the public who have been interviewed on the streets, people posting online and opposition party lawmakers lambasted Masayoshi Arai for saying he would not want to live next door to an LGBT couple and that he does not want to look at them. Arai made remarks in an off-the- record conversation with reporters Friday, during which he said that recognizing same-sex marriage in Japan would change the way society is and that quite a few people would abandon this country. The 55-year-old, who is one of Kishida's executive secretaries, apologized for the comments after they were reported later in the day and retracted them.
Near JR Shimbashi Station in Tokyo on Saturday, passers-by strongly criticized Arai, with one 48-year-old woman calling the comments so terrible that I can't speak. These statements have upset everyone. I might have been an LGBT person as well. She asked.
It's unthinkable that these remarks were made especially at a time when diversity is considered so important. A 46-year-old man from Yokohama was fulminated.
A 50-year-old woman from Osaka Prefecture on a business trip to Tokyo said people of her acquaintance naturally accept the existence of sexual minorities. She said that some in older generations, including her parents, are less tolerant, expressing hope that their attitudes will change even if it takes time.
The remarks made by a high official in government could be used to excuse discrimination, according to the online community.
Robert Campbell, a Japanese literary scholar and TV personality, dismissed Arai's apologies, tweeted his anger and denied his apologies.
The official's remarks were not expressions that gave a false impression. He wrote that they were abusive words that threaten people's dignity and peace.
A gay member of the House of Councillors, Taiga Ishikawa, called the situation beyond one's patience on Twitter and said that all of Kishida's executive secretaries are against same-sex marriage.
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan's representative called for the entire team of secretaries to be dismissed and said he would pursue the matter at the next Diet session.
Kenta Izumi, the leader of the main opposition party, said Arai's remarks were terrible and said his dismissal was a matter of course. He said the issue raised questions about the sensitivity to human rights issues at the Prime Minister's Office.
Akira Koike, head of the secretariat of the Japanese Communist Party, told Kyodo News that the aides' remarks were full of discrimination and prejudice.