Team Taiwan attends Tokyo Pride, highlights equality

Tokyo, June 7 (CNA) Team Taiwan took part in the Tokyo Pride Parade 2026 for the sixth time on Sunday, showcasing its achievements in gender equality and human rights.

Taiwan's representative to Japan, Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋), was invited by Julia Longbottom, the United Kingdom's ambassador to Japan, to speak on the event's main stage, becoming the only official representative of an Asian country to do so.

In his remarks, Lee said Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage in 2019, describing the move as not only a legal milestone but also a reflection of broader social progress.

He noted that Taiwan ranked first in Asia and sixth globally in gender-related rankings compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Lee said Taiwan is a diverse society encompassing different ethnic groups, cultures and values, and that its people have learned to understand one another's differences and coexist through dialogue and interaction.

He also expressed support for parade participants from Japan and other countries and invited them to visit Taiwan and experience its diverse, vibrant and welcoming society.

In a separate interview, Lee said Taiwan's international visibility has grown in recent years, but it still faces pressure that often requires it to participate in international events under the name "Chinese Taipei."

He said he was proud that Team Taiwan was able to participate in Tokyo Pride under the name Taiwan.

Team Taiwan was formed by the Taipei Representative Office in Japan, the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR), and the Taiwan AIDS Foundation. The groups also operated a booth themed around Taiwanese temples and night markets, featuring divination slips highlighting milestones in Taiwan's progress toward gender equality.

Lee joined the parade as it passed through the Shibuya and Harajuku areas, along with Taiwan AIDS Foundation Chairman Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲), TAPCPR secretary-general Chien Chih-chieh (簡至潔) and Taiwan's pioneering gay rights activist Chi Chia-wei (祁家威).

This year's event was held under the theme "A Future Opened by Diversity and Equality" and attracted more than 200 representatives from overseas governments, businesses and nongovernmental organizations.

More than 15,000 people took part in the parade, according to organizers.