TOKYO — Japanese professional volleyball player Rui Takahashi came out as gay Tuesday, saying he hopes his decision to speak openly about his sexuality can help others facing similar struggles.
Takahashi, 26, who plays in Japan’s top professional volleyball division, shared a statement on social media along with a black-and-white photo of himself.
Takahashi said he had feared confronting his sexuality since he was young and struggled to accept himself.
“I struggled with it and ended up denying who I was,” Takahashi wrote, explaining that he is gay and part of the LGBTQ community.
He credited his younger brother, Ran Takahashi, a prominent member of Japan’s national volleyball team, with helping him accept his sexuality.
Takahashi said conversations with Ran helped him express his feelings and organize his thoughts, eventually allowing him to accept himself.
Takahashi’s announcement adds to a small group of openly LGBTQ athletes in Japanese professional sports. Women’s soccer player Shiho Shimoyamada publicly came out as gay in 2019, while former Japan women’s national team player Kumi Yokoyama later came out as a transgender man.
The Japanese Olympic Committee appointed transgender former fencer Fumino Sugiyama to its board in June 2021, shortly before the Tokyo Olympics.
Takahashi said he hopes his decision will encourage others who struggle with their sexuality to accept themselves and speak openly.
“I would be happy if my decision to face myself and speak in my own words could, even in a small way, become a catalyst for them,” he wrote.