Joe Lieberman to Newsmax: US Pushing LGBTQ+ in Japan ‘a Mistake’

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, a Democrat-turned-independent, told Newsmax that it is not the United States’ job to push pro-LGBTQ+ policies on the Japanese people.

Joining “Rob Schmitt Tonight” on Thursday, Lieberman called out U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel for praising Tokyo’s Pride Parade ahead of President Joe Biden’s meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

“Look, I’m for equal rights here in America regardless of sexual orientation,” Lieberman explained. “But I think it was a mistake for Rahm Emanuel, as an American ambassador, to become an advocate for a policy like that, which is quite controversial in Japan.”

The former senator’s comments arrive after Japanese journalist Masako Ganaha accused Emanuel of backing legislation in the country that would legalize same-sex marriages and bar discrimination based on sexual orientation.

“Many Japanese people are so angry about this obvious overt interference in domestic affairs. And to begin with, I have to say that there are no discriminatory [policies] against LGBT people in Japan,” Ganaha said on “Fox & Friends First.”

Lieberman sought to put Emanuel’s mistake in a larger context, noting that Japan is a top ally of the U.S., especially in the wake of the rising threat of China.

“I mean, our alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia are the things that really shape and threaten the Chinese,” he emphasized. “It just doesn’t make sense to me to jeopardize that kind of confidence in our relationship by introducing what I think is a side issue here.”

Biden met with Kishida on Thursday before the pair made their way to a Group of Seven summit, where they reportedly discussed a slate of issues, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the economy.

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