Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party will try to pass LGBTQ law ahead of G7 summit

Name: New Japanese court ruling on same-sex marriage crushes activists’ dream for equality
Uploaded: 2023-04-27T04:21:08.000Z
Duration: 2 min 47 s
Description: New Japanese court ruling on same-sex marriage crushes activists’ dream for equality

LDP member Toshiaki Endo said he’s willing to have the ruling coalition submit a bill without opposition backing if no agreement can be reached

Japan is the only G7 nation that does not have laws banning discrimination against LGBTQ people or give legal recognition to same-sex unions

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People attend the Tokyo Rainbow Pride Parade in Tokyo on April 23, to show support for members of the LGBT community. Photo: AFP

Bloomberg

Published: 12:21pm, 27 Apr 2023

A senior executive in Japan’s ruling party said he’ll seek to pass a law promoting understanding of the LGBTQ community before the country hosts the Group of Seven (G7) summit in less than a month.

Toshiaki Endo, who heads the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) general affairs council, said he’s willing to have the ruling coalition submit a bill without opposition backing if no agreement can be reached. Endo, a lower house lawmaker, was speaking in an interview in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Japan is alone among the G7 wealthy democracies in not having laws to ban discrimination against LGBTQ people or give legal recognition to same-sex unions.

As the ruling party, it’s important for us to take responsibility and submit the bill

Toshiaki Endo, Liberal Democratic Party member

That is despite Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last year signing up to the group’s communique, which laid out a commitment to protecting the community from discrimination.

“As the ruling party, it’s important for us to take responsibility and submit the bill,” Endo said. “Even if the opposition resists it, the LDP and Komeito will put it forward,” he said, referring to the junior coalition party.

The comments from Endo signal a possible shift in the conservative LDP, which has been criticised by one of its prominent members for dragging its feet on the bill.

Other G7 members have pressed Kishida’s government to take steps to protect sexual minorities before the summit as a show of unity with other democracies.

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New Japanese court ruling on same-sex marriage crushes activists’ dream for equality