Tokyo Allows Partnership Certificates For Same-Sex Couples

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

57% : The certificate allows same-sex couples to be treated the same as married couples when making use of certain public services, such as housing, access to medical data and welfare.
55% : Soyoka Yamamoto, a representative of the Partnership Act -- a group that campaigned for Tokyo to recognize same-sex couples -- said during the press conference that she's happy about the launch of the partnership system, but emphasized that the momentum can't stop here.
52% : The certificate allows same-sex couples to be treated the same as married couples when making use of certain public services.
51% : Lawsuits involving the legal protection of same-sex couples in Japan began in 2019.
48% : For example, when a same-sex couple raise children, only one person can legally be the parent.
46% : But partnership certificates are not the same as marriage certificates, and they don't provide same-sex couples the same rights as married couples.
46% : The LGBTQ community faces significant barriers that can be solved through the legalization of same-sex marriage, argues Marriage For All Japan.
44% : A leaflet from Marriage For All Japan, an organization pushing for LGBTQ marriage equality, argues that "not allowing two individuals of the same legal gender to marry infringes on the dignity of the individual and equality, both of which are protected under the constitution, and is a human rights violation."
40% : Japan doesn't criminalize homosexuality, but it's far behind some other nations on the issue of LGBTQ equality, and is the only Group of Seven country that doesn't recognize same-sex marriage.
40% : Last year, the Sapporo District Court found the country's ban on same-sex marriage to be a violation of Japan's Constitution, saying that the legal benefits of marriage should apply to heterosexual and homosexual marriages alike.
37% : Tokyo began issuing partnership certificates that recognize same-sex couples on Tuesday, a step toward equality in a country where same-sex marriage is still not legally sanctioned.

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