Japan’s opposition on Monday introduced a bill to parliament to legalize same-sex marriage, the international press reported.
The bill, introduced by Japan’s Constitutional Democratic Party, aims to change the country’s civil code, which states that marriage is the union between people of different sexes, the Kiodo news agency said.
Criticism of the government regarding the situation of gay minorities and the LGTBQI+ community in Japan has increased recently.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has come under increasing pressure from these groups, especially after a former adviser to his cabinet spoke out against same-sex marriage.
Kishida had to publicly apologize in mid-February for the “extremely inappropriate” words of former adviser Masayoshi Arai.
The former adviser stated on that occasion that he “wouldn’t want to live next door to an LGTBI+ couple” and that he “wouldn’t even like to see them”.
However, Kishida was cautious about the idea of legalizing same-sex marriage, stating before parliament that a move in this direction “could change society, as people’s private lives are at stake”, and advocated a deeper debate on the issue.
The opposition deplored the government’s position, pointing out that “the fact that same-sex marriage is not guaranteed is discriminatory”.
In June 2019, several left-wing formations presented a similar project, although it was not discussed by parliamentarians.
Source: DN
