Update 13. April 2023: Petition starters submitted 55.000 signatures, amongst them man from All Out members to a cross-party group of lawmakers sponsoring a bill to promote understanding of LGBTQ issues.

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Japanese Prime Minister's top aide, Masayoshi Arai, on February 3 said that "I don't even want to look" at same-sex couples and "I don't even want to live next door to them". It was in response to Prime Minister Kishida's earlier comment that Kishida was cautious about same-sex marriage because "society will change if same-sex marriage is allowed". 

The G7 Hiroshima Summit will be held this year in Japan, and Japan is the only G7 country without core legislations to protect LGBTQ people. While Prime Minister Kishida dismissed Arai for the disparaging remarks, it is not enough. We call on Prime Minister Kishida to introduce legislations for the protection of human rights of LGBTQ+ people before the Hiroshima G7 summit in May.

Among the G7 countries, Japan now the only country without an LGBT anti-discrimination law or legal recognition of same-sex couples. It also inflicts inhumane requirements to transgender people, such as forced sterilization, for legal gender recognition.

The proportion of people who have attempted suicide is about 6 times greater among gay and bisexual people, and about 10 times more prevalent among transgender people, than the general population, and the Japanese government has identified sexual minorities as a "high-risk group" regarding suicide. LGBT people in Japan face challenges at every stage of life. For example, surveys show that about 60 percent of LGBT people have experienced bullying at school, and about half of LGBT people face difficulties at work.

We believe that a country that does not protect the human rights of sexual minorities, but rather senior officials actively promote discrimination and prejudice against them, is not qualified to hold the G7 Hiroshima Summit as the chair.

Dear Prime Minister Kishida, please start reform now for Japan without discrimination towards sexual minorities.

We call on Prime Minister Kishida to urgently enact LGBT anti-discrimination laws (laws prohibiting discriminatory treatment on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity), same-sex marriage (marriage equality), and the elimination of inhumane requirements, including forced sterilization, for legal gender recognition (revision of the current Act on Special Cases in Handling Gender Status of Persons with Gender Identity Disorder or introduction of a new law).