LGBTQ groups encourage same-sex co-operation movement in Tokyo Reuters as big breakthrough

Author: Elaine Lies

TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese LGBTQ rights activists on Wednesday praised Tokyo’s move to establish a system of same-sex cooperation as a major step in the fight for equality in a single G7 country that does not fully support same-sex marriage.

Tokyo Governor Yuri Koike said on Tuesday that the Japanese capital will make a framework that will allow for cooperation early next year with a view to making it legal in the fiscal year beginning in April 2022. Expanding the system to Tokyo could benefit more than 50 people. % Of the country’s population.

Under this system, same-sex couples can register their relationship and obtain certain privileges from married couples, such as permission to rent a place to live together and to obtain hospital visitation rights.

Although not a legal marriage, it is seen as an important step for Tokyo to adopt a system of cooperation in the Constitution to legalize same-sex marriage in a nation that is still based on “mutual consent”.

“It’s amazing news,” said Masa Yanagisawa, head of Gold Services Sachs (NYSE 🙂 Prime Services Japan and a member of the “Marriage for All Japan” activist group.

“Some conservatives have expressed concern that while these collaborations are merely symbolic roles, they may undermine Japanese traditions or the traditional Japanese family system. Hopefully, this will prove to be the opposite.”

The Shibuya district of Tokyo was the first place to introduce a cooperation system in Japan in 2015. The system already covers 41% of Japan’s population, and expanding to Tokyo means that more than half of the nation could benefit, according to the Nishiiro Diversity campaign group.

Activists have long lobbied the entire capital to take over the system, and stepped up those efforts ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, delaying the coronavirus pandemic until this summer.

“There could be a restriction on the national government and many government lawmakers being reluctant to do so,” said Takeharu Kato, a lawyer in charge of a major court in March, said the ban on same-sex marriage was banned. Unconstitutional.

Although Tokyo in general did not accept the system of cooperation before the Games, the Olympics, in terms of diversity, helped to influence public opinion, Kato and others.

In a recent survey of Tokyo metropolitan government residents, 70% of respondents were in favor of same-sex couples.

“I’m sure the Olympics have had an impact since I was thinking about what kind of heritage Tokyo should leave,” said LGBTQ rights activist Gon Matsunaka.

Another incentive has been Tokyo’s interest in recognizing itself as a major international hub and attracting foreign companies, many of whom have a greater emphasis on LGBTQ rights.

As Governor Koike prepared for his announcement, he spoke with foreign businessmen and said Tokyo was behind that side, Goldman’s Yanagisawa said.

“As an employee of Goldman Sachs, we want to attract international talent, but Japan is always at a disadvantage,” he added.

“We offer the benefits of our employees in addition to national provisions to try to equalize the system, but there is a limit to what is possible, and of course not all companies can do that.”

The next goal is to make marriage possible, although this is likely to require more local areas to adopt same-sex co-operation regulations, and creating enough pressure for the national government not to exclude them.

“Of course I’m glad,” said Cato. “But this is just a long way to go. We need to use it to push for real marriage.”