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 LGBTQ 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.
Supporters hope the bill would then pave the way for a discussion on the recognition of such relationships, and later, marriage. Somewhat surprisingly for a conservative country, polling shows a rapid shift in public opinion in favor of same-sex partnerships. Just eight years ago, opinion was divided roughly 50/50; now, nearly two-thirds say they support marriage equality.
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