In July, Japan hosted its sixth annual Mr Gay Japan pageant, and Daiki Yoshioka was crowned the winner. In his acceptance speech, Daiki thanked everyone who supported him and pledged to promote the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Japan.

GCN was lucky enough to talk with Daiki about the contest, his favourite memories, and hopes for LGBTQ+ people in Japan in 2024.

When reflecting on his favourite memories from participating in Mr Gay Japan, Daiki said, “When I was a finalist, I designed posters and distributed them to high schools and colleges to increase the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community and available resources for youth. Before sending posters to schools, I emailed them one by one. I felt encouraged as I received positive responses from a lot of schools.”

Daiki’s second favourite memory was the strong bond he nurtured with the other finalists. He said, “In a competitive environment like a pageant, I first imagined that it would be difficult to befriend other finalists. However, as we received the same lesson and shared our visions, we became close. When the competition was over, I felt that the Mr Gay Japan team was like a huge family.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by MR GAY JAPAN (@mrgayjapan)

When asked if his friends and family were supportive of his participation in Mr Gay Japan, Daiki said, “Although my parents and friends were shocked when I announced my participation in the pageant, they came to understand my rationale and showed support at the end. Some of my friends didn’t know that I was gay as I didn’t publicly come out, but some sent me very heart-warming messages to show their support, and it was sweet.”

Daiki added that a number of people, whom he thought were friends, silently unfollowed him on social media after, but he handled this well, sharing, “In short, I think it was a good opportunity to identify and say goodbye to “fake friends” and be thankful to my genuine friends who chose to stay in my network to support me.”

For Daiki, the most challenging thing about being a gay man living in Japan has been growing up with the rigid heteronormativity “due to the Japanese proclivity for homogeneity.” Same-sex marriage has yet to be legalised in Japan, and heterosexual relationships are still celebrated as the normality.

Nearly all street advertisements feature heterosexual couples, and if Daiki is shopping for a ring or any accessory for himself, he frequently gets asked if he is shopping for his girlfriend.

Daiki says that he’s always felt like a bit of an outcast growing up in a heterosexual culture. He said, “Even now, I sometimes feel it is extremely challenging to find a partner and get married. I am fortunate to have befriended queer folks and have gotten to know a good number of same-sex couples to feel less isolated.”

Thinking of young people living in Japan, Daiki said, “I aspire to raise awareness of places and resources that the youth can take advantage of, to feel more hopeful to live in Japan.”

LGBTQ+ rights have not changed significantly in Japan during Daiki’s lifetime. Despite the fact that over 300 Japanese municipalities, which cover roughly 65% of the population, allow same-sex couples to enter into partnership agreements, Japan remains the only G7 state that does not allow same-sex marriage and constitutionally defines the union as between a man and woman.

Daiki said, “We still do not have a law that prohibits and penalises discrimination based on sexual orientation. Same-sex marriage is also legally not recognised.” He added, “It is worth mentioning that the “LGBTQ+ understanding promotion law” was passed in 2023 as the first LGBTQ+-related law in Japan. Yet, since the purpose of the law is to promote a “right” understanding of sexual diversity, it is questionable if the law has any tangible impact.

In Japan, same-sex partnerships do not offer a couple married legal status, but they do come with some privileges, including the ability to apply for publicly subsidised housing.

An estimated 60-70% of people in Japan currently support the legalisation of same-sex marriage. Daiki says the biggest hurdle is the conservative Japanese government. “I believe the next step is to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ rights with the voters and increase the number of allies while lobbying current officials.”

Hopefully, as more municipal governments recognise same-sex partnerships and more courts rule in favour of legalisation, LGBTQ+ rights could positively change soon in Japan.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by MR GAY JAPAN (@mrgayjapan)

As Mr Gay Japan, Daiki is hoping to accomplish three things.

First, he wants to continue to share his personal journey toward finding pride in his sexuality with students in high schools and colleges. “From my experience, I imagine they feel a great magnitude of isolation. I would be honored if my talk could empower them, even a little bit.”

Second, Daiki wants to raise awareness about LGBTQ+ community resources. “While it is true that Japan still has a lot to catch up with Western nations, Japan does have amazing NPOs that support the LGBTQ+ community. These organisations do not usually get featured in the media, so I would like to use the platform I was given to raise awareness of these resources.”

Finally, Daiki aims to help scale Mr Gay Japan. “Mr Gay Japan is a unique event that sends a strong message to the heteronormative society while nurturing finalists into the next role models within the LGBTQ+ community in Japan. Since I was given a lot, I would like to give back by helping out its operation.”