A ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker has drawn a fierce backlash after labeling the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community "unproductive" in terms of childbirth, and warning that a society that accepts same-sex relationships risks "increasing unhappy people."
Junior lawmaker Mio Sugita is facing nationwide criticism after contributing an article to the latest issue of conservative magazine Shincho 45 questioning what she perceives to be Japanese media's recent trend toward favorable coverage of LGBT-related issues.
In it, Sugita argued that there is no justification for efforts by the state and municipalities to invest taxpayers' money into policies supporting same-sex couples because "these men and women don't bear children — in other words, they are 'unproductive.' "