• Shinjiro Atae is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, and model.
• He is presently signed to Avex Entertainment.
• He recently come out as gay.

Shinjiro Atae is officially gay!

Japanese pop star Shinjiro Atae has spoken openly about his sexuality.

On Wednesday, July 26, the J-pop star has officially come out to the world during a free fan event at Line Cube Shibuya in Tokyo.

He opened up in front of about 2,000 crowds while being concerned about his society which is very conservative in nature. As same-sex marriage is illegal in Japan.

“I respect you and believe you deserve to hear this directly from me. 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.”

“I don’t want people to struggle like me,”

The pop star then went on to share his experience in California acknowledging it create a big change in his life moving from Japan to Los Angeles in 2016.

“Everyone was so open, People would talk about their vulnerabilities. In Japan, people think it’s best not to talk about those things.”

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The singer also previewed his new song and music video “Into The Light,” at the event while promising a portion of the earnings of the track set to be donated to Pride House Tokyo.

Pride House Tokyo is Japan’s first permanent LGBTQ+ Center, and the ReBit organization, which benefits LGBTQ+ youth.

Shinjiro Atae is the first public figure who became a member of the LGBTQ+ in Japan

According to LGBTQ Nation, many praise Shinjiro Atae with an outpouring of love and support for his brave decision.

His mom Suzuko, who was also in the crowd, told to The New York Times,

“I was super surprised, and I had never imagined it,”

She is “200 percent supportive” of her son as Atae had told her about his sexuality before going public.

Besides, his two siblings and his former bandmate Misako Uno were also in the audience at the fan event, who comes to support him.

Shinjiro Atae wrote a lengthy message on his respective Instagram account alongside a series of photos from the event. He began,

“It has taken me a long time to be able to say I am gay. I could not even say it to myself. However, I’ve come to realize it is better, both for me, and for the people I care about, including my fans, to live life authentically than to live a life never accepting who I truly am. I hope people who are struggling with the same feeling will find courage and know they are not alone.”

He continued,

“When I think of my work in the entertainment industry and the many things for which I am grateful, it is my relationship with my fans that first comes to mind. I thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for standing beside me over the years. I’d also like to thank my family, friends, staff members and my fellow AAA members for providing me their full support throughout this process.”

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