J-pop idol Shinjiro Atae comes out as gay during Tokyo concert: 'I finally have the courage to open up to you'
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Japanese pop idol Shinjiro Atae came out as gay during a concert in Tokyo to over 2,000 of his fans. The announcement, which he said he’d been wanting to make, is highly unusual in Japan where same-sex unions are not legal.
Atae has been in the spotlight since he was 14 years old and debuted in the co-ed pop group AAA in 2005. Now 34, he has been having success as a solo performer since 2016, when he released his first digital single, which shot to the top of the iTunes chart in Japan.
No performer or entertainer of the level of stature and popularity as Atae has come out as queer in Japan, according to LGBTQ Nation.
“I respect you and believe you deserve to hear this directly from me,” Atae told the crowd on July 26. “For years, I struggled to accept a part of myself. But now, after all I have been through, I finally have the courage to open up to you about something. I am a gay man.”
Atae went on to tell his fans that he was also coming out for them — so they wouldn’t have to struggle in silence as he said he did.
“I am 200% supportive,” his mom told outlets after his announcement.
Growing up in the spotlight, Atae worried his sexuality would ruin his career if it became public. But, in an interview with the New York Times, Atae credited his seven-year stint in Los Angeles as to why he changed his mind.
“Everyone was so open,” he said. “People would talk about their vulnerabilities. In Japan, people think it’s best not to talk about those things.”
Japan is the only nation in the Group of Seven (G7) that doesn’t have legal protection for same-sex unions. In May, the Japanese Parliament passed an LGBTQ rights bill that said there “should be no unfair discrimination” against gay and transgender people, which critics were disappointed by.
Takeharu Kato, a lawyer and member of the activist group Marriage for All Japan first described the bill as “better than nothing” but “not especially meaningful.”
Roughly 70% of Japan allows same-sex partnership agreements, although partnership rights are not the same as the ones guaranteed by marriage.
“Whatever you do, there will be haters,” Atae concluded to his fans at the concert. “I can only focus on the people I might be helping.”
His announcement was met with cheers and cries from the audience.
Misako Uno, another member of the J-pop group AAA, shared her support and admiration for Atae in an Instagram post.
“Shinjiro knows the preciousness of life much more than I do,” she wrote. “I am truly grateful to have met [him].”
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