#J-Pop idol Shinjiro Atae comes out as gay

Shinjiro Atae has publicly come out as gay, reading a letter on stage to 2,000 fans who came to central Tokyo today (July 26) to hear him discuss what he called “the challenge of my life,” The New York Times reports.

Atae, a Japanese pop star, has been on hiatus from performance for nearly two years, ever since his co-ed group AAA disbanded in 2021 after almost 20 years together. Members of the band were reportedly present during the announcement to show him support.

“I respect you and believe you deserve to hear this directly from me,” Atae read. “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. I am a gay man.”

While Japan passed a law to “promote understanding” and fight against “unfair discrimination” of LGBTQIA+ people last month, the country still has a ban on same-sex marriage.

Atae’s public declaration of his sexual orientation in a country with such conservative views was scary for him. “I thought if I was found out, it would end my career, and so I couldn’t tell anyone,” he told the Times. After living in Los Angeles for seven years, however, he became more willing to open up.

Last year, Atae published a memoir titled Every Life Is Correct, But Incorrect to prepare fans for this announcement, he said to the Times.