Taiga Ishikawa
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Taiga Ishikawa | |
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石川 大我 | |
Member of the House of Councillors | |
Assumed office 22 July 2019 | |
Constituency | National |
Assembly Member for Toshima, Tokyo | |
Assumed office April 2011 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Nishisugamo, Toshima, Tokyo, Japan | 3 July 1974
Political party | Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (2018-present) Social Democratic (prior to 2018) |
Alma mater | Meiji Gakuin University |
Website | Official website |
Taiga Ishikawa (石川 大我, Ishikawa Taiga, born 1974) is a Japanese politician and LGBT activist. He was elected to the House of Councillors in the 2019 Japanese House of Councillors election, becoming the first openly-gay man to be elected to either chamber of the National Diet.[1] Previously, he became one of the first two openly gay male politicians to win an election in Japanese history when he was elected in April 2011 to a seat in the Tokyo's Toshima ward assembly.[2] Wataru Ishizaka, also openly gay, was elected in the same election to the Nakano ward council in Tokyo. Before he was elected to the city council, he was Mizuho Fukushima's chief of staff.
Personal life and activism
A graduate of the Meiji Gakuin University School of Law and a native of Sugamo, he previously served as a secretary to SDP chair Mizuho Fukushima, and founded the gay male support organization Peer Friends in 2004. He came out in 2002 at the age of 28 through a memoir, Where is My Boyfriend? (Boku no kareshi wa doko ni iru?). He has since been active in the Japanese LGBT rights movement and has appeared in various series, including NHK's Heart-to-Heart,[3] and has participated in Tokyo Pride Parade.
Political career
In October 2013, he ran for Social Democratic Party party chairmanship but lost to National Diet Councilor Tadatomo Yoshida.[4] The first openly gay candidate for leadership of a sitting parliamentary party in Japanese history, Ishikawa was recognized after the election by an editorial in The Japan Times as one who could both "be a valuable asset for the SDP" and "help channel the voices of marginalized people, including irregularly employed workers and members of the gay community, to ensure that they are reflected in local and national politics".[5]
Ishikawa left the SDP in 2018 and received the nomination of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan in November for the 2019 House of Councillors election.
Political positions
Same-sex matrimonial rights
He helped to successfully lobby the Japanese government to amend the certificate allowing Japanese citizens to marry foreign nationals of the same sex in countries where same-sex marriage is legal.[6] He is campaigning for the creation of a municipal domestic partnership registry for Toshima which would grant ward-managed housing and hospital visitation rights.[7]
Trouble
In the middle of the night on March 20, 2020 at Shinjuku Ni-chōme, the biggest gay village in Tokyo, Japan, Ishikawa suddenly filmed a police car on patrol.[8] A police officer noticed him and questioned what he was doing, but he ignored the officer and continued to film the video. When the officer asked him to stop filming, Ishikawa screamed loudy, "It's my hobby to film the cops who walk pompously around Shinjuku Ni-chōme," "The police have no right of publicity," "Tell me your name and let me film your police notebook," etc. When other officers arrived after his own report to the police, he said, "I'm a member of the National Diet, you must have been scared." The trouble lasted for about an hour, and he was eventually calmed down by the officers and left the scene.[9] Regarding this case, a Japanese TV personality Honkon criticized him should be resigned a legislator on Twitter.[10] In his lastest tweet before the trouble, more than 1,000 voters replied him to explain.[10] However, he, who should have been elected as a member of the House of Councillors with the confidence of the voters, shut down all inquiries and made no defense to the voters.[10] Later, on April 27, he tweeted as "(Ishikawa's staff)"[11] and the following day, on April 28, he himself tweeted,[12] but both of the contents were completely unrelated to the trouble. He did not respond to questions from one of the online newspapers about the trouble, after all.[8]
References
- ^ "Gay politician wins Upper House seat with LGBT support:The Asahi Shimbun". Asahi.com. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
- ^ Natsuko Fukue (26 April 2011). "First openly gay candidate wins in Tokyo ward". The Japan Times.
- ^ Yuki Keiser and Rayna Rusenko (April 2008). "NHK's "Haato O Tsunago : Gays and Lesbians"". TokyoWrestling.com.
- ^ Akinori ono (15 October 2013). "Upper House member Yoshida elected new head of opposition SDP". Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013.
- ^ Editorial (18 October 2013). "Revitalizing the SDP". The Japan Times.
- ^ "Ministry clears path to same-sex marriage". The Japan Times. 28 March 2009.
- ^ Natsuko Fukue (11 March 2011). "Activist fighting for LGBT rights". The Japan Times.
- ^ a b Takemoto, Tetsuji (2020). "スクープ!立憲・石川大我、新宿2丁目トラブルの証拠写真公開 高井セクキャバ騒動でかき消された立憲の闇を暴く" [Scoop! Photographs of the evidence of the trouble caused by Taiga Ishikawa of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan in Shinjuku Ni-chōme are released. The dark side of the Constitutional Democratic Party that was drowned out by Congressman Takai's sexy pub problem is revealed.]. KSL-Live! (in Japanese language). Tetsuji Takemoto. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
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(help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ "コロナ禍に国会議員が警察官と大ゲンカ!新宿2丁目で「警察手帳を撮らせろ」" [A member of the National Diet get into a huge fight with police officers under the corona disaster! "Let me film your police notebook" in Shinjuku Ni-chōme]. Asagei Biz (in Japanese language). Tokuma Shoten. 2020-04-14. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
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(help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ a b c "新宿2丁目で警察官と大ゲンカと報じられた立憲・石川大我参議院議員に説明を求める声が多数 ほんこんさん「即!議員を辞めなさい!」" [In response to Councillor Taiga Ishikawa, a member of the House of Councillors of the Constitutional Democratic Party Japan, who reportedly got into a big fight with police officers in Shinjuku Ni-chōme, a number of people asked for an explanation. Mr. Honkon said, "Right now! Resign a legislator!"]. Gadget News (in Japanese language). Brazil Ltd. 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
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(help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ Ishikawa's staff (2020-04-27). "Tweeted by Taiga Ishikawa on April 27, 2020". Twitter (in Japanese language). Twitter Japan. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
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(help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ Ishikawa, Taiga (2020-04-28). "Tweeted by Taiga Ishikawa on April 28, 2020". Twitter (in Japanese language). Twitter Japan. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
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External links
- Official website
- Japan: Meet Japan's first openly gay politician campaigning for LGBT rights. YouTube. Channel - Ruptly TV. Published 13 December 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2017.