By: Hannah Zhang
On a Wednesday night, J-pop idol Shinjiro Atae stood in front of over 2,000 fans on a stage in central Tokyo as he confessed his sexuality. A moment of pin-drop silence followed, and then the crowd erupted in wild shrieks of “I love you!” and applause that filled the auditorium.
The speech given by Shinjiro Atae on that Wednesday marked a career-changing moment. He read from a prepared note, saying, “For years, I have 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. I am a gay man.”
Shinjiro Atae had been anxious for years about the exact moment of coming out in front of his fans. Many idols avoid such confessions due to fears of losing fans and valuable sponsors. Gon Matsunaka, the director and advisor of an organization supporting gay and transgender communities, stated that he believed Shinjiro confessed “in order to change Japan.”
This is indeed somewhat the case. Shinjiro Atae openly stated his intentions: “I don’t want people to struggle like me.” According to the New York Times, “He also hopes to provide comfort to those who might be grappling with anxieties about their sexuality.”
And, although Japan is not the friendliest with LGBTQ+, they don’t exercise violence against the sexual minority. During an interview with a sexual minority person in Japan on YouTube, the interviewee stated that “Japanese people are not necessarily ‘accepting’, but they are very tolerant compared to other countries.”
Part of what motivated Shinjiro Atae to come out was his trip to Los Angeles, where he witnessed many gay couples openly expressing their affection for each other. This experience led him to yearn for such acceptance, and he received it in abundance. Fortunately, no female stans were present at the time.
Before coming out to the public, Shinjiro Atae first confided in close friends and his mother. His mother was shocked and admitted, “I never would have imagined it.” However, when she learned that her son wanted to share this information publicly, she was initially concerned about potential discrimination. Now, she has wholeheartedly expressed her “200% support.”
One might even consider Shinjiro Atae lucky—imagine the potential repercussions if he were a K-pop idol instead. Even minor and fake dating and bullying scandals can trigger significant turmoil. For instance, male stans were driven to burn a K-pop idol’s merchandise following a recent announcement of her marriage.