Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Mio Sugita in a weekly magazine article recently described lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples as "unproductive" for not having children.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is president of the LDP, said Thursday that what Sugita wrote in her article runs counter to the policies of the government and the LDP. Sugita is a House of Representatives member elected in the proportional representation system from the Chugoku region.
"It is a matter of course that we strive for a society where diversity is respected," Abe told reporters in Higashi-Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture.
A day earlier, the LDP posted a message on its website with regard to Sugita's article. The party said it has instructed her to be more careful about what she says or writes.
"Among what she wrote were expressions showed her lack of understanding of LGBT issues and lack of consideration for the feelings of people concerned," the LDP wrote.
Keiji Furuya, who chairs the LDP's Special Mission Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, was responsible for giving Sugita guidance.
The committee's "basic principles" compiled in May 2016 mapped out a policy of seeking to establish a lawmaker-initiated special measures law to promote the correct understanding of the issues.
The LDP included the policy in its lower house election pledge in 2017.
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