Japanese Volleyball Player Rui Takahashi Comes Out as Gay

Rui Takahashi, a 26-year-old outside hitter for the Suntory Sunbirds Osaka in Japan's top-tier SV.League professional volleyball division, publicly came out as gay on September 29, 2026, via a lengthy statement posted on social media. In his message, Takahashi described struggling since childhood with accepting his sexual identity, writing that he had been "afraid to face a certain side of myself" and had "denied who I was." He stated: "That is the fact that I am gay and that I am one of the sexual minorities."

Takahashi credited his younger brother Ran, 25, a star of Japan's national men's volleyball team, with helping him accept himself. The brothers were teammates at Suntory Sunbirds for approximately two years before Ran transferred to Bogdanka LUK Lublin in Poland's PlusLiga for the 2026-27 season. Rui wrote that conversations with Ran "became the trigger that finally allowed me to accept myself for the first time" and helped him "sort out my thoughts" and realize "it was OK to be just the way I am."

Takahashi joins a small group of openly LGBTQ professional athletes in Japan. Previous examples include women's football player Shiho Shimoyamada, who came out as gay in 2019; Kumi Yokoyama, a women's World Cup player who came out as a transgender man; and Fumino Suhiyama, a former fencer appointed to the Japanese Olympic Committee board in June 2021.

In his statement, Takahashi expressed gratitude to his family, teammates, and team staff for their support and reaffirmed his commitment to volleyball. "There is no change in my commitment to do my best in volleyball and strive for my growth in various aspects," he wrote. He addressed others in similar situations, stating: "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" to accept themselves. Takahashi timed his announcement for the start of a new season, wanting to communicate directly with fans who have supported him.