Ishiba Remains Cautious over Same-Sex Marriage

Jiji Press

11:09 JST, January 29, 2025

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday took a cautious stance about legalizing same-sex marriage.

“We need to closely watch public opinions, parliamentary deliberations and lawsuits” on the matter, Ishiba told a plenary meeting of the House of Councillors.

Asked whether his ruling Liberal Democratic Party had fulfilled its accountability over its political funds scandal, Ishiba said the party investigated the matter and offered an explanation to the public as much as possible.

He said it is very regrettable that some see the Self-Defense Forces as unconstitutional. Whether to recognize the SDF under the country’s Constitution is one of key issues in discussions on amending the supreme law.

Ishiba said the government is working on legislation to have social media operators delete misinformation quickly. The government will draw up guidelines at an early date to clarify what kind of information will be illegal to spread, he said.