Japan’s Prime Minister issues an apology for his former aide’s anti-LGBTQ+ remarks
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has released an apology for his former aide’s homophobic comments. On 4 February, the economy and trade official Masayoshi Arai was fired from his secretary position after he was heard making disparaging remarks about LGBTQ+ couples.
According to Reuters, Arai claimed that people would leave Japan if the country legalised same-sex marriage. He also said that he wouldn’t live next to LGBTQ+ couples. “His comments are outrageous and completely incompatible with the administration’s policies,” Kishida said before announcing his aide’s termination.
In response to the backlash and his firing, the former secretary released his own public apology stating: “I caused trouble due to my own opinions.
It is not desirable for any officials in posts like mine to say such a thing.” He also confirmed that the PM disagreed with his harmful comments.
