J-Pop idol Shinjiro Atae comes out as gay
In a rare move in this conservative nation, Shinjiro Atae, a J-Pop idol, announced on social media and during an in-person event Wednesday, standing in front of a few thousand fans onstage in a darkish auditorium in central Tokyo, that he was gay.
In a statement posted to his Instagram, the 34-year-old wrote: “To all my fans, today was a very special day for me. For years, I struggled to accept a part of myself … But now, after all I have been through, I finally have the courage to open up to you about something.
I am a gay man. It has taken me a long time to be able to say I am gay. I could not even say it to myself. However, I’ve come to realize it is better, both for me, and for the people I care about, including my fans, to live life authentically than to live a life never accepting who I truly am.
I hope people who are struggling with the same feeling will find courage and know they are not alone. I held this event today because I wanted to tell as many of you as possible directly.
