News Tokyo to introduce same-sex partnership system

According to Tokyo Governor Koike, Tokyo will implement a same-sex partnership system in 2022 And officially recognize same-sex partnerships. According to the metropolitan government, five prefectures, including Ibaraki, have already introduced partnership ordinances.

Koike made the announcement during a plenary session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. Koike said that in interviews with support groups for sexual minorities and questionnaires conducted mostly among residents of Tokyo, many people expressed the opinion that such a system should be introduced. "We will consider making the system available to many people," she said. "It will help alleviate problems in daily life and promote the understanding of gender diversity in Tokyo."

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Sounds like there will still be issues with visas and such as there is no national policy. I was recently acquanted with a same sex (female) couple who get married in Japan and came here. The Japanese partner is from Kyushuu as my wife is so there is some in common for them to talk about.

Yesterday, the Tokyo metropolitan government began accepting applications from sexual minorities to have their partnerships publicly recognised ahead of the program's launch on 1 November.

Applications under the so-called Tokyo Partnership Oath System are in principle conducted online, including the issuance of certificates showing they have been received, to protect the privacy of applicants. Japan does not legally recognize same-sex marriage, but couples who obtain a certificate under the system will be able to apply for municipal housing and be briefed on their partner's medical condition at municipal hospitals. To apply, at least one partner must be a sexual minority and reside, work or attend school in Tokyo. The couple should both be legal adults. The system is not limited by nationality as long as the requirements are met.

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Thank you for the follow-up, @thomas!

Life is grand when there is happiness in one's heart.

Today, Tokyo started issuing same-sex partnership certificates to same-sex couples who live and work in the capital on Tuesday, a long-awaited move in a country without marriage equality. The certificates allow LGBTQ partners to be treated as married couples for a range of public services in housing, medicine and welfare.

As of Friday last week, 137 couples had applied for a certificate, Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike said. Hopes are high among advocates that the introduction of the same-sex partnership certificates, which cover both Tokyo residents and commuters, will help fight anti-LGBTQ discrimination in Japan. Miki and Katie are among those who have had no official proof of their relationship. "My biggest fear has been that we would be treated as strangers in an emergency," Miki told AFP. Without a partnership certificate, the couple, who asked to be referred to by their first names, used to tuck a note inside their wallets with the other's contact details. "But these were insubstantial, and we felt official documents certified by the local government would be more effective," Miki said.

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Starting 1 November, Nakano and Setagaya wards in Tokyo will officially recognize same-sex couples as "unregistered husbands" or "unregistered wives" on their residency registries. This move mirrors the legal status of heterosexual couples in common-law marriages within the respective wards. Setagaya Ward announced this change on 17 October, followed by Nakano Ward on 24 October. As both wards will implement this system on the same day, they will be the first in Tokyo.


While this is a significant step forward for LGBTQ+ rights in Japan, it's important to note that same-sex couples in Japan still lack the same legal protections as heterosexual couples in common-law marriages. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, responsible for the Basic Resident Registration Law, has expressed concerns about potential obstacles, particularly social security procedures.

In Nakano Ward, the new system will be available to ward residents who have completed the Nakano Ward partnership oath, officially recognising lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples and others, or the Tokyo metropolitan partnership oath. The ward's oath system will introduce electronic applications on Nov. 1 for ease of use. Applications will be accepted at the Nakano Ward office's family and resident registration counter. In Setagaya Ward, same-sex couples who wish to use the new system can apply at 10 locations in the ward. The new system will apply to ward residents who have taken the oath of partnership and familial relationship, in which the ward officially recognizes LGBT couples and others. A note recognizing the residents' relationship status will then be added to their residence certificates.

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Good news. I was watching the election broadcasts before the election, and the Constitutional Democratic Party included an image of a same-sex couple among the usual aspirational images of Japan, so the results of last night's election may increase the chances of a bill allowing same-sex marriage to go through parliament.