Tokyo on Tuesday began issuing partnership certificates to same-sex couples living and working in the capital, a long-awaited move towards marriage equality in the country.
The certificates allow LGBTQ partners to be treated as married couples for certain public services, such as housing, medicine and welfare.
More than 200 small local authorities in Japan have already taken steps to recognize same-sex partnerships since Tokyo’s Shibuya district launched the system in 2015.
The status does not carry the same rights as a marriage under the law, but it represents a welcome change for couples like Mickey and Katie, who have long had no official proof of their relationship.
“My biggest fear has been that we’ll be treated like strangers in an emergency,” Miki told JEE News at his home in Tokyo, where the 36-year-old Japanese man and his American girlfriend, 31-year-old Katie K. The fridge is also decorated.
Without a partnership certificate, couples, who asked to be referred to by their first names, would tuck a note in their wallets with the other’s contact details.
“But these were unnecessary, and we felt that official documents certified by the local government would be more effective,” said Mickey as his gray and white cat swung around in a rainbow dress.
As of Friday morning, 137 couples had applied for the certificate, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said last week.
Hopes are high that the introduction of same-sex partnership certificates, which cover both Tokyo residents and commuters, will help fight anti-LGBTQ discrimination in Japan.
“The more people who use these partnering systems, the more our community will feel encouraged to tell their family and friends about their relationships,” without “hiding who they are,” Mackey said. Mickey said.
More flexible
In recent years, Japan – run by a conservative ruling party that supports traditional family values ​​– has seen small steps towards embracing gender diversity.
More firms are now announcing support for same-sex marriage, and gay characters are more openly portrayed on TV shows.
A 2021 poll by public broadcaster NHK showed that 57 percent of the public were in favor of same-sex marriage, while 37 percent were against it.
But hurdles remain, with an Osaka court ruling in June that the country’s failure to recognize same-sex unions was constitutional.
It was a blow to campaigners in the wake of a historic ruling last year by a court in Sapporo, which said the current situation violated Japan’s constitutional right to equality.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been cautious about the possibility of legislative changes that would recognize same-sex partnerships nationally.
Meanwhile, Noboru Watanabe, a local lawmaker from Kishida’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, came under fire last month for calling same-sex marriage “disgusting.”
“Some politicians have made really negative comments, like we’re mentally ill,” Katie told JEE News.
But “families don’t always consist of one mother, one father and two children. We have to be more flexible,” he said.
Mickey and Katie held their wedding ceremony last month, but despite their joy at the introduction of the new system, they recognize its limitations.
Inheritance rights are still not guaranteed in the event of a partner’s death, while Katie’s lack of spousal visa status limits her ability to stay in Japan.
“I think Japanese people’s understanding of same-sex marriage is quite high now,” Miki said.
“It’s just left for policy makers to get serious about it, and make changes”.
