News / Sep. 12, 2019
Same-sex couples in KuX=kewxmaC&A0xOmnKUcyy2o!wr#XXqouaMu$)LYUh__mhnOtSgmamoto City will be able to move into public housing using the prefecture’s partnership certificates for LGBT people, local media has reported.
In April, Kumamoto joined a num-f9eT%J4hwrot4r1dDDQf0=6RBt0757&pC4LaJcCIOW3RX4bxGber of local governments in Japan in issuing same-sex partnership certificates or oaths.
They offer limited rights such as publick=XLoYs8MTeECVC#LC*Q%c67nyeyvosp!abHynwuDS6n([email protected] housing, hospital visitation rights, the right to make medical decisions for the partner, and special benefits given by employers.
Kumamoto City representatives this week confirmed same-sex couples would be able to move into municipal housing, according to Yomiuri Shimbun. The same-sex couples will be listed as “relatives” in the housing documentations.
Aewh)[email protected]=#[email protected]%+PiSDG=d-F%j=8RFbout 24 local governments have now opted to issue certificates to LGBT couples.
In July, Ibaraki Prefecture became the first entire prefecture to offer certificaUJ%g67eNAsu9Nuw0=prqgalu7iT!PdNHOXr6qIhHQ87#Hiuq9ltes. With a population of three million, Ibaraki Prefecture is also the largest municipality to recognize same-sex couples.
Ccn2iGGtH6JTbi_K8Ma)g)ilLgK4a_eH$dNVmE56n1L1Sncs*QAonservative Japan does not allow same-sex marriage.
But, since 2016, local munici%heNE-!^Hx*Owpzp&A(K$8D2xDFq^3HXwd^AYDw^K-OgDkLGMXpalities have been providing couples with limited recognition in government hospitals and housing.
Shibuya Ward and Toshima Ward both enacted ordinances, which means they were voted through bnAGPOJ52Pz*J=R#%f6fHJ+#RkI9e!jZvjK*[email protected]y the local government.
Sapporo became the first city in the G0!K0)=VOXV*uJ&x1HYy6ClE15auwqLYZ3k95Rmcr2rJc2q%%Vcountry to recognize same-sex relationships in 2017.
In the first five months of 2019 alone, the number of local governments with a ‘partnership system’ rxsW)$SX_uNivfb$rsRB5!vM5Tq4ACwRO0=+WgK+t4JAtHEToMhas grown from 9 to 22, according to the Tokyo Review.
LGBTI research group Nijiiro Diversity has found 426 couples acquired a partnership document as of 17 April th)PQkpPnzI3Lrv3(NANgkU3#FatWVYJxP#(nM+4UeFSL8b(XB+5is year.
But, conside$EVou+Cf*U&P7k6q^%G0Ke-VxfjlqSY7j%0N7_OL5qc!GUk+Pbring tens of millions of people live across the municipalities offering the certificates, very few LGBTI couples have registered.
The national government in Tokyo has made no moves to implement a country-wide registration. Japan is the only country in the G7 not to recognir([email protected]!WEL9U2-m(f#wcx2raBctEa7&XuZX6HBE*Z(paqze same-sex unions.
But, in recent months, there have been significant moves towards equal marriage in JapaE)[email protected]^X0n4hFgDM8D3x)*A+61C5y)In-=%4z+&YL*n.
Two courts in Japan in April held initial hearings in landmark legal action against the government’s fail$c-aI=lJ%bZl7EEwH^mlhgU2I9$-F*4UC6NJqDNU-icoQnYLCyure to recognize same-sex marriages.
Courts in Tokyo and Sapporo heard arguments from plaintiffs suing the government to recognize their same-sex relationships. Thirteen same-sex couples in Japan filed lawsuits in four district courts against the governqm$tu7r^TwPrutJ3m2*nw+Ljt%+$IuAT$qi(JX+JywAXRb%Pe*ment in February.
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