LDP panel OKs outline of bill promoting society tolerant of sexual diversity

TOKYO -- A special committee within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) approved an outline of a bill to promote understanding of LGBT and other sexual minorities during a March 28 meeting here at the party headquarters.

Lawmakers will submit the bill to the Diet, aiming for its enactment during the current Diet session. The outline says the bill's aim is to realize a society that can tolerate diverse sexual orientations and sexual identities.

The proposed outline calls for the government to formulate a basic plan and conduct investigative research. It also urges companies to provide support, securing opportunities for sexual minorities to receive counseling.

A draft of a law to prevent LGBT discrimination submitted by opposition parties provides for penalties for violations, but the LDP-drafted outline does not.

Keiji Furuya, who chairs the LDP's Special Mission Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, explained to a group of reporters, "It is important to expand the understanding of a society that can accept (sexual) diversity before anything else."

(Japanese original by Yusuke Tanabe, Political News Department)