[Catholic Caucus] Francis-appointed cardinal praises Japan’s new pro-LGBT campaignLifeSite News ^ | August 11, 2026 | Emily MangiaracinaPosted on by ebb tide[Catholic Caucus] Francis-appointed cardinal praises Japan’s new pro-LGBT campaignJapan remains one of a handful of countries in the developed world that have not legalized homosexual 'marriage.' The cardinal-archbishop of Tokyo welcomed the Japanese government’s recently announced plan to promote education about LGBT-identifying people. Cardinal Isao Kikuchi, archbishop of Tokyo, told UCA News that it was “meaningful that the Japanese government had clearly articulated a policy aimed at deepening understanding of sexual minorities.” Kikuchi was appointed a bishop by Pope John Paul II in 2004 and was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2024. In November, a Tokyo court ruled Japan’s ban on homosexual “marriage” is constitutional in an unusual decision defying a streak of court decisions in the country that ruled that lack of legal status for homosexual “marriage” violated the Constitution.