Taiga Ishikawa

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.

Taiga Ishikawa
石川 大我
Member of the House of Councillors
Assumed office
22 July 2019
ConstituencyNational
Assembly Member
for Toshima, Tokyo
Assumed office
April 2011
Personal details
Born (1974-07-03) 3 July 1974
Nishisugamo, Toshima, Tokyo, Japan
Political partyCDP (2018–present)
Social Democratic (prior to 2018)
Alma materMeiji Gakuin University
WebsiteOfficial website

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]

Words and actions

In the middle of the night on March 20, 2020 at Shinjuku Ni-chōme, the biggest gay village in Tokyo, Japan,[8] Ishikawa suddenly filmed a police car on patrol.[9] A police officer noticed him and questioned what he was doing, but he ignored the officer and continued to film the video.[9] When the officer asked him to stop filming, he screamed loudly, "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.[9] 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."[9] The trouble lasted for about an hour, and he was eventually calmed down by the officers and left the scene.[9] In response to an interview by Asagei Biz about this trouble, he replied in writing that he was "not aware of any trouble" with the officers and that there was "nothing in particular" that he did not agree with the officers' behavior.[9]

Regarding this trouble, a Japanese comedian Hong Kong criticized him should be resigned a legislator on Twitter.[10] To his latest 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 tweets were completely unrelated to the trouble. He also did not respond to questions from an online newspaper about the trouble, after all.[8] Shortly before Shinzo Abe announced his resignation from the position of Prime Minister of Japan on August 28, 2020, citing worsening ulcerative colitis, Ishikawa posted a tweet calling for accountability, saying that Abe would not be allowed to hide behind the clouds.[13] However, despite his stance on holding Abe's accountable, he never fulfilled the accountability demanded by voters for his own problems.[14]

References
  1. "Gay politician wins Upper House seat with LGBT support：The Asahi Shimbun". Asahi.com. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  2. Natsuko Fukue (26 April 2011). "First openly gay candidate wins in Tokyo ward". The Japan Times.
  3. Yuki Keiser and Rayna Rusenko (April 2008). "NHK's "Haato O Tsunago : Gays and Lesbians"". TokyoWrestling.com.
  4. 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.
  5. Editorial (18 October 2013). "Revitalizing the SDP". The Japan Times.
  6. "Ministry clears path to same-sex marriage". The Japan Times. 28 March 2009.
  7. Natsuko Fukue (11 March 2011). "Activist fighting for LGBT rights". The Japan Times.
  8. Takemoto, Tetsuji (2020-05-08). "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, a member 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). Tetsuji Takemoto. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
  9. "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 big fight with police officers under the corona disaster! "Let me film your police notebook" in Shinjuku Ni-chōme]. Asagei Biz (in Japanese). Tokuma Shoten. 2020-04-14. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  10. "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 Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, who reportedly got into a big fight with police officers in Shinjuku Ni-chōme, a number of people asked for an explanation. Mr. Hong Kong said, "Right now! Resign a legislator!"]. Gadget News (in Japanese). Brazil Ltd. 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  11. Ishikawa's staff [@ishikawataiga] (2020-04-27). "厚労省がアルコール度数70～83％の酒類を消毒液として使うことを特例的に認め、全国の酒造さんが協力して下さっている。（中略）（スタッフ投稿）" [The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has granted special permission to use alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of 70-83% as a disinfectant solution. Sake brewers from all over Japan are cooperating with us... (posted by Ishikawa's staff)] (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-06-06 – via Twitter.
  12. Ishikawa, Taiga [@ishikawataiga] (2020-04-28). "萩生田文部科学大臣へ『新型コロナウイルス感染症により影響を受けた大学・専門学校等の学生の支援に関する要請』を提出。（後略）" [We have submitted a request to Mr. Hagiuda, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, to support for students in higher education affected by the novel coronavirus infection...] (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-06-06 – via Twitter.
  13. Ishikawa, Taiga [@ishikawataiga] (2020-08-28). "（前略）森友、加計、桜を見る会、数々の疑惑についても、しっかり説明すべきだ。辞任→雲隠れは許されない。" [...Moritomo, Kake, Sakura-viewing party, and numerous other allegations should also be thoroughly explained. Resigning and hiding behind the clouds is unacceptable.] (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-09-23 – via Twitter.
  14. Takemoto, Tetsuji (2020-08-29). "立憲・石川大我「雲隠れは許されない」安倍総理の辞任でイキリ倒す→自分は新宿2丁目で警官を恫喝した件から逃亡中" [Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Taiga Ishikawa: "Abe would not be allowed to hide behind the clouds," talks big to Abe's resignation, but he's on the run from his own case of frightening police officers in Shinjuku Ni-chōme]. KSL-Live! (in Japanese). Tetsuji Takemoto. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
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