In an interview with The Japan Times Hiroshi Hase, Japan’s recently appointed minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology, discussed the need to support LGBT students.

Hase remarked that the issues facing LGBT students were not understood by their teachers, classmates or families.

‘Let me be clear on this: I believe sexual-minority students at elementary and junior high schools have been left out,’ The Japan Times reported him as saying.

Have, who is a former human rights lawyer, set up a multi-party think tank to examine anti-gay discrimination in March and in April requested the ministry urge schools to better accommodate LGBT students. He also said that he would use the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to promote social issues.