Tag Archives: Japanese LGBT

Third Japanese City Recognises Same-Sex Unions

In a decision announced this week, Mie Prefecture in the city of Iga has said it will be issuing partnership certificates to same-sex couples from April.

This makes the region the third in Japan and first outside of Tokyo to take such a step.

Municipal officers have said they hope the move will help to reduce discrimination and ensure people in relationships have their rights protected.

Last year, the mayor of the ward, Sakae Okamoto, said he planned to bring forward the certificates, but had instructed officials to investigate the best way of going forward.

In statement released, a municipal official said

We were aware of the statistics showing that 7.6% of Japan’s population identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. We concluded that if the figures are reflected here, presumably hovering around 5 to 7%, we need to do our utmost to protect the rights of such minorities.”

He added that because Shibuya and Setagaya wards in Tokyo have already taken such steps, it inspired them to follow suit.

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Although these certificates are not legally binding, businesses and hospitals are being asked to honour them in the same way they would a marriage licence.

Officials have said in order for couples to be eligible, both partners have to be at least 20-years-old and reside in the city.

The will also be required to submit evidence that they are single and sign a written declaration.

Recent polls in Japan have shown that a majority of people are in favour of marriage equality.

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Will Same-Sex Marriages Be Coming To Japan? New Ruling Could Pave The Way

A ruling by Japan’s Supreme Court last month on marriage could open the door to same-sex couples being able to marry.

The ruling was made in a lawsuit filed by married opposite-sex couples objecting to the requirement under the Civil Code that they register under only one surname.

The majority of the 15-strong Supreme Court panel ruled that the Civil Code was not violating the plaintiffs’ rights.

However Sota Kimura – an associate professor at the Tokyo Metropolitan University – pointed out that it is the first time judges have ruled on Article 24, which defines marriage as a legally binding union between two people.

Some translations suggest that marriage only applies to opposite-sex couples, however the word “ryōsei” can also mean simply “two parties”.

Kimura said he thinks the Supreme Court judges were stressing the latter interpretation of the word.

He said because the judges did not explicitly limit the definition of marriage to one man and one woman, this could open the door to same-sex marriage becoming legal in Japan.

Kimura says that if a couple eventually a same-sex couple sued the state to have their marriage recognised, this latest ruling could be used as a precedent.

However the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said the Constitution would need to be revised before same-sex marriage rights could be allowed.

Japan’s views on homosexuality are a complex one. Despite artistic cultural exports that shows Japan as being a socially progressive society in regards to gender and sexual expression, the country still struggles with broad legislation that would ensure LGBT equality.

Though there are a number of openly queer politicians in Japan, openly gay people run the risk of being evicted, fired, or denied access to Japan’s health care.

Tokyo Issues Japan’s First Same-Sex Marriage Certificate To This Beautiful Couple

Holding rainbow fans and grinning from ear to ear, couple – Koyuki Higashi, 30, and Hiroko Masuhara, 37 – were photographed in Tokyo this week with a very special document clutched in their hands: a marriage certificate officially recognising their same-sex union.

According to CNN, it’s the first of its kind in Japan.

Higashi, a Japanese model and television personality turned LGBT activist and her partner of four years and fellow activist, Hiroko Matsuhara were married in Tokyo’s Shibuya ward on Thursday morning.

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Shibuya’s legislators voted in March to grant marriage certificates to LGBT couples, making the ward the first in Japan to recognise same-sex unions. Setagaya, another of Tokyo’s 23 wards, voted to do the same a few months later.

The local ordinances recommend that same-sex couples be granted equal rights, including hospital visitations and apartment rentals.

Still, activists insist this is an important step forward for Japan, a country where LGBT issues remain taboo.

As CNN notes, despite “recognition and protection from some local governments, Japan still has no national laws protecting LGBT people from discrimination. Coming out can mean getting fired, evicted or denied healthcare.”

With her new wife by her side, Higashi said.

I’m so happy. When they gave us the certificate, I cried. Our friends cried.

I hope that this will be a step forward not only for Tokyo but for the whole of Japan to become a more comfortable place to live in, because there are LGBTs nationwide.”

Across Asia, LGBT rights are limited or in many cases, non-existent. In Southeast Asia, for instance, being gay is criminalized in several countries

Japan’s LGBT Community Launch Bid for the Recognition of Same-Sex Marriage in the Country

455 members of the LGBT community in Japan, including 142 same-sex couples, have filed an unprecedented petition to the government requesting the recognition of same-sex marriage across the country.

In the petition they argue that denying them marriage is against their human rights. It has now been submitted to the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA), argues that Japan is in violation of human rights and therefore its constitution by not permitting same-sex marriages, The Japan Times reported.

At a press conference one of the petitioners, a woman from Tokyo who is in her 40s, said:

I spent more than half of my life being unable to tell anything about my partner even to my parents and friends. I could only hope the children of current and future generations don’t have to live the kind of life I did and can be celebrated regardless of whether they like people of the opposite sex or not.”

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Although gay marriage is not illegal in Japan, there is no framework in place to allow same-sex couples to wed, making it impossible under the current law.

The petition says that the Japanese government is denying LGBT people the principle of equality and individual dignity protected by their constitution.

The JFBA will now investigate the allegation and issue a warning to the government if a constitutional breach of rights is found.

The warning would not be legally binding but would have a “far reaching” impact on LGBT legislation in Japan, according Toshimasa Yamashita, a lawyer representing the JFBA. A warning would likely be referenced in all future trials relating to same-sex marriage, Mr Yamashita said.

The JFBA, which represents social justice cases, said this is the country’s first attempt to legalise same-sex marriages by appealing through human rights law.

Currently Shibuya, a ward of Tokyo, is the only part of Japan, which recognises same-sex partnerships. The district became the first to do so in March when the local assembly voted in favour of the change, granting same-sex couples to right to rent apartments together and have hospital visitations as family members.

The capital celebrated its LGBT community with the Tokyo Rainbow Pride march on 26 April, which over 12,000 people attended.

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Members of the Japanese LGBT community submitted the bid following the landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court on 26 June which declared that the right to same-sex marriage is guaranteed by the American constitution, and Ireland becoming the first ever country to vote for marriage equality on 22 May.

The petition argues that LGBT people are suffering “a wide variety of disadvantages” and are not being given their constitutional “right to pursue happiness”.

Without the right to marry, same-sex couples are unable to make their partners as inheritance beneficiaries in the event that they die without a will or share health insurance benefits granted to married couples. And if one of the couple is not Japanese, they are not eligible to hold a spouse visa.

Brides Celebrate Japans First Celebrity Same-Sex Marriage

The first celebrity lesbian wedding was held in Japan, Tokoy this weekend. Former Gravure model and television personality Ayaka Ichinose (34) and actress Akane Sugimori (28) got married in a symbolic ceremony on Sunday amid growing calls for Japan to legalise gay marriage.

While their marriage will not be recognised under law, actresses – both dressed in white – tied the knot in front of some 80 relatives and friends.

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Sugimori told press after the ceremony in Shinjuku ward.

We held the wedding ceremony so that it might become easier for others to do the same in the future.”

Akane Sugimori

She said they would try to register their marriage with the municipal office, but expected their application to be rejected.

Ichinose came out as a lesbian in 2009, and met Sugimori at a gay bar in Shinjuku, Tokyo in October 2012.

We hope gay people will also be able to marry in Japan, and hope our wedding can help promote this goal.’

Ayaka Ichinose

Japan has a rich gay history, but LGBT rights get short shrift in the mainstream media. Japan’s views on homosexuality are a complex one. Despite artistic cultural exports that shows Japan as being a socially progressive society in regards to gender and sexual expression, the country still struggles with broad legislation that would ensure LGBT equality.

Last month, a Tokyo council voted to issue “partnership” certificates to gay couples, the first such recognition of same-sex unions in Japan. Other municipalities are now considering doing the same.

The certificate will carry only symbolic significance, since the Japanese constitution identifies marriage as a union based on mutual consent of the parties from “both sexes”.

Ichinose said she was ‘very pleased’ by the move and was considering moving to the ward, but she noted that as the certificates are effective only in Shibuya, there would not be many cases in which they would be useful.

Two other districts and one city are now considering similar measures.

Second Tokyo District To Recognise Same-Sex Relationships

Another district in Tokyo has announced that it will recognise same-sex relationships. The Shibuya district, which hosts many international companies, and is regarded as a business hub, will start issuing marriage certificates.

Mayor Nobuto Hosaka of Setagaya, Tokyo’s most populous ward, has now said Shibuya’s efforts to recognise same-sex relationships have prompted his district to do the sam.

MORE: District In Tokyo Plans to Extend Marriage Rights of Same-Sex Couples

One official responsible for drafting the Shibuya plans said they would encourage businesses and hospitals to recognise the partnerships of gay couples, despite the certificates only holding symbolic significance.

The legal recognition of same-sex relationships is currently banned in Japan, as the country’s constitution defines marriage as “a union based on the mutual consent of parties from both sexes.”

This means the certificates would not be legally binding, but are more a symbolic gesture.

The Setagaya assembly members will vote on a measure in due course.

District In Tokyo Plans to Extend Marriage Rights of Same-Sex Couples

A district in Tokyo plans to give same-sex couples the same legal rights as married opposite-sex spouses, becoming the first local government in Japan to do so at a time when gay marriage is a hot-button issue in many countries.

Last week, the Shibuya Ward in central Tokyo unveiled a draft of the new statute, which it said would be put to a vote in the ward’s assembly next month. If the measure passes, as expected, same-sex couples could apply for “proof of partnership” certificates starting April 1, said Shigeru Saito, a general affairs official.

MORE: Japanese Zen Temple Begins to Offer Symbolic Same-Sex Marriages to LGBT Community

Mr. Saito said that while the partnerships would not be legally binding, the move was intended to raise awareness about the rights of not only lesbians and gay men but also bisexual and transgender people. Current law recognizes marriage as only between a man and a woman.

Tens of thousands of people took part in Taiwan’s gay pride march on Saturday, including groups from Asian nations that have more restrictive laws on same-sex issues.

While Japanese society is relatively tolerant of homosexuality, it has afforded few legal rights or protections to gays and lesbians. Same-sex couples have reported being barred from renting apartments together or from visiting each other in hospitals because they are not married.

Ken Hasebe, a ward assembly member who proposed the measure, said he wanted to reduce discrimination in housing, health care and other areas. He said the statute was modeled on laws in European countries like Germany, which permits domestic partnerships between gay couples.

MORE: Two Japanese Actresses Announce Engagement and Arrangements for the Country’s First Celebrity Same-Sex Marriage

He said he proposed the move after seeing surveys finding about 5 percent of Tokyo residents to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. He said there had been growing attention to these residents’ rights because of the gay marriage debate in the United States and because a few actors and lawmakers in Japan have revealed that they are gay.

“My district is Harajuku, where there are a large number of L.G.B.T. people. Shibuya is an international community, so it is only natural that we have international levels of diversity.”

Ken Hasebe

Wataru Ishizaka, a gay ward assembly member in a different part of Tokyo who has advocated for sexual minority issues, praised Shibuya’s move. He said he hoped it would eventually bolster the legal standing of gay people at the national level.

“I think we are behind the rest of the world. But this is a first step.”

Wataru Ishizaka

Two Japanese Actresses Announce Engagement and Arrangements for the Country’s First Celebrity Same-Sex Marriage

Former Gravure model and television personality Ayaka Ichinose (34) and actress Akane Sugimori (28) plan to tie the knot next year in the conservative country’s first celebrity gay marriage. The pair announced that they will hold their wedding ceremony and banquet in April next year.

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While there are some famous openly gay celebrities in Japan — perhaps most notably Akihiro Miwa — Ichinose and Sugimori might be the only open LGBT couple in the entertainment industry.

Ichinose came out as a lesbian in 2009, and met Sugimori at a gay bar in Shinjuku, Tokyo in October 2012.

‘We hope gay people will also be able to marry in Japan, and hope our wedding can help promote this goal.’

Ayaka Ichinose

This news follows the announcement that Hotel Granvia in Kyoto is offering a same-sex weddings service, in cooperation with a local Buddhist temple, joining Tokyo Disneyland in accommodating gay couples who want to marry in Japan.

Japan has a rich gay history, but LGBT rights get short shrift in the mainstream media. Japan’s views on homosexuality are a complex one. Despite artistic cultural exports that shows Japan as being a socially progressive society in regards to gender and sexual expression, the country still struggles with broad legislation that would ensure LGBT equality.

Japanese Zen Temple Begins to Offer Symbolic Same-Sex Marriages to LGBT Community

Same-sex marriage is not legal in Japan, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t options for LGBT couples looking to marry.

The Shunkoin Temple in Kyoto, Japan, has become the first zen Buddhist temple to offer a symbolic same-sex wedding.

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Established in 1590, Shunkoin Temple follows Zen Buddhism and is an important site for a 20th-century school of thought that blends Zen and Western philosophy.

They also take a strong stand on human rights, with their website proudly declaring,

“Shunkoin Temple is against any forms of ‘Human Rights Violations’ in the world. No religion teaches how to hate others. Religion teaches how to love and respect others.”

With the temple’s priest, Takafumi Kawakami adding…

“It’s not like we have to keep tradition the way it is. We welcome every couple regardless of their faith or sexual orientation.”

Takafumi Kawakami

The temple officially began providing same-sex marriages in 2011, but given the conservative nature of Japan, the service hasn’t been widely publicised or recognised here.

Japan’s views on homosexuality are a complex one. Despite artistic cultural exports that shows Japan as being a socially progressive society in regards to gender and sexual expression, the country still struggles with broad legislation that would ensure LGBT equality.

Though there are a number of openly queer politicians in Japan, openly gay people run the risk of being evicted, fired, or denied access to Japan’s health care

Japanese LGBT Horror: 30% of Students Suicidal

30% of LGBT school kids in Japan have considered committing suicide as a result of the bullying they have been subjected to, a Japan Times survey has revealed. The news comes after similar research in the United Kingdom found that 80% of British students are harassed and abused because of their sexual persuasion.

609 schoolchildren across Japan were interviewed by LGBT advocacy group Inochi Risupekuto Howaito Kyanpen (IRHRK) (translation: “Respect for the White Ribbon”).

70% of LGBTs had suffered at the hands of bullies, with almost a third of that number claiming that they had seriously thought about killing themselves. 53% of those who had been bullied said that they had endured verbal taunts, while 20% had been physically abused. 22% had self-harmed.

A shocking 11% reported that they had been sexually abused. One student revealed that their classmates had stripped them naked.

The anti-LGBT abuse is not limited to schoolchildren. Perhaps the most depressing finding of this survey is that 12% of the Japanese pupils had been bullied by teachers, for periods up to a year. Transgender students appear to have had the worst time of all: 43% of them have been victimised for five years or longer.

The co-leader of the IRHRK initiative, Mameta Endo, believes that the Japanese education system has to learn vital lessons from this study: ‘More teachers need to know the issues LGBT (pupils) are facing. As most bullying starts at elementary schools, I want teachers to provide children correct information about sexual minorities.

‘Schools need to find ways to teach students about LGBT (pupils) to prevent those who don’t match stereotypical ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’ gender types from being bullied.’