Japan ruling party under fire after MP calls LGBT 'unproductive'

Japan's ruling party has come under fire over remarks by one of its lawmakers who said gay and lesbian couples were "unproductive" because they cannot have children.

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) politician Mio Sugita, an ally of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, sparked protests over an article she wrote in July questioning spending taxpayers' money on LGBT couples.

"Can we obtain approval of spending taxpayers' money for LGBT couples? They don't make children. In other words, they lack productivity," she wrote.

Some 5,000 people protested outside the LDP headquarters in Tokyo last week over her remarks and similar demonstrations are planned in Osaka and other cities over the weekend, organisers said.

Abe attempted to calm the furore, saying Sugita's remarks contradicted the party's policy towards sexual minorities.

"It is natural to aim at a society where human rights and diversity should be respected," he said Thursday.

The LDP also separately warned her to pay more attention to her remarks, saying in a statement: "Lawmaker Sugita's article ... includes phrases reflecting her lack of understanding of (LGBT) issues and consideration for the feelings of people involved."
Taiga Ishikawa, the first openly gay politician to win a local election in Japan, tweeted: "There is no self-cleaning function in the LDP. The LDP is not qualified to speak about promoting understanding of LGBT."