The Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, fired one of his secretaries for remarks that he labelled "outrageous" and homophobic.
Masayoshi Arai's remarks that he "doesn't even want to look at" married same-sex couples were "outrageous," according to Kishida, and "incompatible" with the government's aim to build an inclusive society.
Kishida told reporters on Saturday, “I made the decision to relieve him of his position as secretary.”
According to NHK, economy and commerce official Arai, who began working as Kishida's secretary in October, stated on Friday that he "wouldn't like it if they lived next door" and that if same-sex marriage is permitted, people will "abandon the country."
The 55-year-old guy then expressed regret for his statements, admitting that they were unacceptable despite being his own perspective.
The dismissal is another setback for Kishida's administration, whose support has been dwindling since last year.
Kishida has lost four ministers in the past three months, some of whom are alleged to have mishandled their money or had connections to the contentious Unification Church.
Vice Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Mio Sugita resigned in December as a result of her contentious remarks against LGBTQ+ individuals and the indigenous Ainu people of Japan.
Even though recent polls indicate that the majority of people in Japan support same-sex unions, Japan is the only industrialised nation in the Group of Seven that forbids such unions.
After Kishida stated in parliament that same-sex marriage should be carefully evaluated since it might disrupt the family structure, Arai made his remarks.
More than a dozen couples have contested the legitimacy of the country's ban on same-sex unions in district courts all around Japan.
In November of last year, a court in Japan's capital city upheld the nation's ban on same-sex unions. However, it also determined that same-sex families' lack of legal protection infringed their human rights.