Tokyo opens same-sex partnership system in move welcomed by LGBTQ groups; ‘now recognised as a couple’

A system to register same-sex partnerships opened for applications in Tokyo on Tuesday, in a symbolic step forward for a country that has fallen behind its peers on embracing diversity.

The system does not offer the legal benefits of marriage for same-sex couples but has been welcomed by LGBTQ rights groups as a small step forward. Japan is the only Group of Seven (G7) major democracy not to allow either same-sex marriage or civil unions, despite polls showing that the public is largely in favour of the change.

“The introduction of the system in Tokyo is extremely positive,” said Soshi Matsuoka, the head of Fair, an LGBT rights organisation in Tokyo. “But partnership is not enough. We basically want legal marriage.”

With the nation’s population ageing and rapidly shrinking, the lack of such provisions could damage its ability to compete for talent against the dozens of countries that have legalised marriage equality, industry bodies have warned. Nonetheless, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the leader of the conservative ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has urged caution on the issue.

The system is open to couples of whom at least one partner lives, works or studies in Tokyo, and where both are at least 18 and are not already married or in a partnership. Applications are to be made online, and certification will be available from November 1, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government website.

“What I’ve wanted for so long now feels real and I’m happy,” said Soyoka Yamamoto, 37, tearing up after she and Yoriko, her partner of 11 years, submitted their applications online at a news conference in central Tokyo. “We can now be recognised by society as a couple.” The two planned a family celebration later, she said.