Cardinal Kikuchi of Tokyo Backs Japan's LGBT Education Policy

Cardinal Isao Kikuchi, archbishop of Tokyo, has voiced support for the Japanese government's initiative to promote education about people who identify as LGBT. Speaking to UCA News, Kikuchi called "significant" the policy approved June 16, which falls under Japan's 2023 LGBT Understanding Promotion Act and is intended to set guidelines for governments, schools and businesses.

Kikuchi, named a bishop by Pope John Paul II in 2004 and made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2024, said it is necessary to distinguish between the morality of homosexuality and the psychology surrounding it. He said the Catholic Church's approach to sexual minorities involves both an ethical dimension grounded in faith and a broader understanding of human life.

"An inclusive community that welcomes everyone is not an end in itself; rather, it is the first step toward the realization of the world God calls us to build," Kikuchi said. He did not address explicitly the Church's position on the immorality of homosexual acts.

The government plan, set for 2026, calls for spreading awareness about LGBT issues through educational materials, including pamphlets and training videos, for schools, to prepare teachers to handle these matters and to prevent bullying and discrimination. The plan also seeks to encourage welcoming workplaces for people who identify as LGBT, with specific attention to insults, harassment and the disclosure of a person's sexual orientation or gender identity without consent.

Japan is one of the few developed countries that has not legalized same-sex marriage, though social acceptance has grown steadily. A 2023 Pew survey put support for same-sex marriage among Japanese at about 70%, the highest figure among the Asian countries included in the poll.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi opposes legalization. In November, a Tokyo court ruled that the ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional, a decision that differs from earlier rulings that had found the lack of legal recognition unconstitutional. Japanese courts have no authority to strike down existing legislation, so such decisions are symbolic.