Tag: Japan

Karamo Brown says Harry Styles was “taught” how to use Grindr when the Queer Eye cast bumped into him in Japan. The show’s culture expert appeared alongside the other members of the Fab Five – Bobby Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness – on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on Wednesday (31 July). When asked by a fan about their newfound friendship with the former One Direction star, Bobby responded: “Harry was absolutely lovely, super sweet...

Screenshot via Twitter @TaigaIshikawa Japan has gained its first openly gay member of the House of Councilors. While the nation has seen openly LGBTQ politicians before, this is the first instance of one winning a seat within the House.  Taiga Ishikawa was elected to the Upper House for the first time by winning a seat in the proportional representation system on July 21. The 45-year-old came out as gay in 2011 before becoming a social activist speaking out for gay rights....

In the 72 hours before we meet, Bobby was in LA, New York and also Phoenix. After leaving us – on a trip that included an appearance on national television and a date by Royal appointment, in the company of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – he’s casually off to Las Vegas. Confessing he’s feeling just a tad sleepy (and possibly hungover after partying with Killing Eve star Jodie Comer), Bobby is all ours as we meet to discuss...

Ahead of a meeting with UK Prime Minister Theresa May at the G20 Summit in Osaka, Russian leader Vladimir Putin decried LGBTQ equality as a sign of the decadence of liberalism. Speaking with the Financial Times, Putin said that liberalism had become “obsolete.” “It has come into conflict with the interests of the overwhelming majority of the population,” he said, referring to the rise of ethno-nationalist movements in Europe and the U.S. and the election of Donald Trump as signs of...

Seiyo Uchino (left) as Kenji Yabuki and Hidetoshi Nishijima as Shiro Kakei / Image via TV TokyoJapan’s currently being rocked by a late night drama about a gay couple eating. More and more Japanese tv viewers are staying up for a series that airs at midnight on Fridays called Kino Nani Tabeta? or What Did You Eat Yesterday? “I like the drama because it does not show any romantic scenes,” a 29-year-old...

Hidamari ga kikoeru / Image via Nippon Shuppan Hanbai (Nippan) K.K.Could marriage equality be the next triumph for LGBTQ people in Japan? Japan’s major opposition parties have submitted a bill this past Monday that calls for marriage equality. While the bill will probably be stalled and stopped by the ruling conservative party, the Liberal Democratic Party, this bill sparks a coming change in Japan. Members of the Liberal Democratic Party, who have been...

Karamo Brown met up with Pink News to talk about the upcoming Queer Eye: We’re In Japan! special, which is set to premiere on Netflix later this year. “You realize very quickly that if you give people the space and permission to express what they’re feeling, sometimes you don’t have to say the words,” the culture expert explains when asked about the language barrier he faced filming in a foreign country. “There were some times where I would literally just sit and look...

Lots of couples flocked to have their relationships registered in just the first few days Same-sex couples can now register their relationship in Fukuoka, one of Japan’s biggest cities. Fukuoka Mayor Soichiro Takashima made the announcement about the good news in February. But now everything is up and running for the partnership oath system which allows same-sex couple to register their relationship at the municipal government. Couples could start registering their relationship from 1 April with many flocking to sign up in the...

"We feel like we've received congratulations from society.” On Monday, the Japanese city of Fukuoka began recognizing same-sex partnerships, the seventh municipality to issue certificates legally acknowledging the relationships of LGBT people. The first was Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward in 2015. Mayor Soichiro Takashima handed certificates to five couples at City Hall. “We’ve already spent our lives together as a family but we’re happy ,” Anri Ishizaki, a 33-year-old trans man who married his 27-year-old girlfriend, told Japan Times. “We feel like we’ve...

Same-sex couples in Fukuoka will be able to register their relationships from April Fukuoka is set to become the latest prefecture in Japan to recognize same-sex couples. Located on the Japanese island Kyushu, its capital Fukuoka, is one of the country’s biggest cities. Fukuoka Mayor Soichiro Takashima said the municipal government will introduce a partnership oath system to allow same-sex couple to register their relationship. People in same-sex couples who are not already married and are 20 years or older will be given...

The health ministry ordered hotels, inns and love hotels not to refuse guests “on grounds of their sexual orientation or gender identity." Japan’s Ministry of Health is ordering hotels to stop discriminating against LGBT guests. A January 31 directive reinforces existing anti-discrimination laws, reminding hotel owners not to refuse admission “on grounds of their sexual orientation or gender identity and take proper care of them.” Making same-sex couples sleep in double beds was cited as an example of discriminatory behavior. The order also...

Japan’s national public broadcaster (or NHK) has bought the rights to a tv adaption of the popular gay themed comic/manga My Brother’s Husband. The story, by esteemed mangaka (manga artist) Gengoroh Tagame, will be made into a three-episode miniseries. The story follows single father Yaichi, a man who struggled with his twin brother Ryoji coming out as gay, moving to Canada, and then dying while overseas. Yaichi and his daughter Kana live their days peacefully until one day a Canadian man named...

'I can't believe they're still showing this sort of thing' A TV character which had not hit Japanese screens in 28 years was resurrected for a TV special and has caused great controversy. Homoo Homooda was created by the comedy duo Tunnels in the 1980s. The characters name uses the word ‘homo’ – short for homosexual – and is a derogatory word. Tunnels brought back the offensive character in a TV special commemorating their 30 year career. Fuji TV broadcasted the special and...

Japan’s gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender and queer people flooded into Tokyo Sunday for a rainbow-filled spectacular celebration of Pride. This year’s theme was “Change,” as JoeMyGod reported. “I believed that nothing would change,” read flyers for the event. “But, little by little, things are starting to change,” according to a quote from an unnamed individual. “Let’s achieve a future where everyone is respected as an individual, despite differences in sexuality.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLhwCGheqxHfG2vd8M0wVA_psBB8_ObQbN&v=MjIvxKltnAk This year’s marchers in the Shibuya district had the support of 190...