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In July, Shinjiro Atae, a 34-year-old Japanese pop star, made an unexpected declaration onstage in front of 2,000 fans: He came out as gay.
In Japan, a conservative country that has not legalized same-sex unions, his announcement stunned the crowd. But not Motoko Rich, a reporter in the Tokyo bureau of The New York Times, who was seated in the audience.
The day before, Ms. Rich had visited Mr. Atae at his sister’s apartment in Tokyo. The two sat on the floor and, for an hour and a half, discussed how he came to terms with his sexuality.