Japan's ruling bloc submitted to parliament on Thursday a bill aimed at promoting understanding of the LGBTQ community, a day before the country hosts the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, lawmakers said.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, apparently wants to showcase progress on the issue to his G7 peers, with the country under mounting pressure to do more to protect the rights of the community. Japan has been lagging behind other G7 members on the issue.
Kishida's stance on sexual minorities has come under fresh scrutiny since his then-close aide told reporters in February that he would "not want to live next door" to an LGBTQ couple and that he does "not even want to look at" LGBTQ people. The aide was swiftly sacked.