Japanese pop star Shinjiro Atae comes out as gay in front of 2,000 fans

Addressing a crowd of approximately 2,000 cheering fans, J-Pop singer Shinjiro Atae came out as gay and encouraged all to live authentically.

News . Written by Beatrice Fanucci.

J-Pop star Shinjiro Atae, who recently came out as gay, on the stage with a book on his hands.
Image: via Twitter - @hubboyslove

Japanese pop star Shinjiro Atae has come out as gay with a heartfelt speech delivered in front of a crowd of 2,000 fans at an event in Tokyo.

Shinjiro Atae is a Japanese pop singer who rose to fame when he was part of the hugely popular group AAA. After the group when on hiatus in 2020, Atae decided to pursue a solo career in the US and is now based in Los Angeles.

The J-Pop singer decided to publicly come out during a free fan event in Line Cube Shibuya, in Tokyo, on July 26. Addressing the cheering fans, he said: “What I’m going to tell you now may not be something you expect or hope to hear. Perhaps some of you may need time to understand.

“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,” he said. “I am a gay man.”

 

 

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Un post condiviso da SHINJIRO 與 真司郎 (@shinjiroatae1126)

Shinjiro Atae also spoke about the fears he had before being able to identify as gay, saying: “I could not even say it to myself. I feared that even if I could accept the truth, the world would never accept me as an artist.

“However, I’ve come to realise it is better, both for me and for the people I care about, including my fans, to live life authentically than to live a life never accepting who I truly am,” he added.

His coming out also coincided with the release of his new single ‘Into the Light’. As reported by Entertainment Weekly, proceeds from this single will be donated to Japanese LGBTQ+ centre Pride House Tokyo and the queer youth support group ReBit.

 

After the event, the J-Pop star took to Instagram to thank his fanbase, writing: “To all my fans, today was a very special day for me. I thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for standing beside me over the years.

“When I think of my work in the entertainment industry and the many things for which I am grateful, it is my relationship with my fans that first comes to mind,” he added.

 

Messages of support for the singer are pouring in from fans, with many thanking him for opening up and telling him of how proud they are.

While the news comes at a time of increased support for LGBTQ+ rights in Japan, such a public announcement is still unusual in the conservative country. Recently, Japan’s parliament was working on anti-discrimination legislation, but it ended up passing a watered-down version of the bill which “promoted LGBTQ+ awareness”.

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