Tokyo Gov't Recognizes Same-Sex Partnerships

The Tokyo metropolitan government's revised ordinance recognizing the partnerships of sexual minorities took effect Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, joining several other prefectural governments in equally treating sexual minority couples in administrative and other public services.

Photo Insert: Japan does not legally recognize same-sex marriage, but couples who obtain a certificate under the so-called Tokyo Partnership Oath System will be able to, for instance, apply for municipal housing and include their children's names on their partnership certificates.

Japan does not legally recognize same-sex marriage, but couples who obtain a certificate under the so-called Tokyo Partnership Oath System will be able to, for instance, apply for municipal housing and include their children's names on their partnership certificates, Mainichi Japan reported.

Despite the increase in the number of Japanese municipalities recognizing same-sex partnerships in recent years, Japan remains the only Group of Seven country not to do so at the national level.

In June, the Osaka District Court dismissed a damages lawsuit claiming the government's denying same-sex couples the right to marry is unconstitutional, while the Sapporo District Court ruled last year that the government's failure to amend laws to recognize same-sex marriage violates the right to equality.

With a population of over 14 million, Tokyo is by far the most-populated jurisdiction in Japan to implement such a system for sexual minorities including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

The metropolitan government began accepting applications for a partnership certificate under the new system in mid-October, with applicants having the choice to conduct the process online to protect their identities.

Nine Japanese prefectures -- Aomori, Akita, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Mie, Osaka, Fukuoka and Saga -- have already introduced a partnership system for sexual minorities, Kyodo News also reported.

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