LGBT rights in Tokyo

Last updated
LGBTQ rights in Tokyo
Map of Japan with highlight on 13 Tokyo prefecture.svg
Status Legal since 1880
Gender identity Change of legal sex allowed since 2004, following sex reassignment surgery
Discrimination protections Sexual orientation and gender identity protected
Family rights
Recognition of relationships Registered partnerships metropolis-wide since 2022, in several wards and cities since 2015
Adoption Ambiguous; second-parent registration allowed through partnership registry since 2022

Tokyo is one of Japan's leading jurisdictions when it comes to civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people. Jurisdictions in Tokyo were among the first to establish partnership registries for same-sex couples, and Tokyo became the tenth prefecture-level government to establish a registry in November 2022. Previously in 2018, Tokyo became the first prefecture-level government to enact an LGBT-inclusive human rights law protecting against discrimination and hate speech.

Contents

Recognition of same-sex unions

Municipal partnership registries

On April 1, 2015, Shibuya in central Tokyo announced it would offer same-sex couples special "partnership certificates" ((Japanese : パートナーシップ宣誓制度, pātonāshippu sensei seido, pronounced [paːtonaːɕi̥ppɯseɰ̃seːseꜜːdo] ), also known as "partnership certification system" (パートナーシップ証明制度, pātonāshippu shōmei seido)). While these licenses are not legally recognized as marriage certificates, they may be used in civil matters such as hospital visitation rights and housing. [1] [2] The Shibuya city office began accepting applications on 28 October 2015. [3] In response to this action by the Shibuya city office, the "Special Committee to Protect Family Ties" (家族の絆を守る特命委員会, kazoku no kizuna wo mamoru tokumei iinkai) of the federal ruling Liberal Democratic Party was formed in March 2015 to discuss the matter. An officer from the Ministry of Justice who was invited to comment stated that the action by Shibuya is legal because the certificate issued is not a marriage certificate and the current Japanese legal code does not prohibit the "partnership" of same-sex couples. [4] In July 2015, Setagaya announced it would be joining Shibuya in issuing partnership certificates from 5 November. [5] [6] [3]

in May 2021, 12 municipalities in Tokyo, Adachi, Bunkyō, Edogawa, Fuchū, Koganei, Kokubunji, Kunitachi, Minato, Nakano, Setagaya, Shibuya and Toshima, agreed to mutually recognize each other's partnership certificates. [7] Other wards, including Tama, Kita, Musashino and Arakawa, have established registries since, with the city of Machida set to launch a registry in March 2023. [8]

On June 21, 2023, the Special Wards Personnel and Welfare Affairs Association, which coordinates the salary system of Tokyo's 23 wards, directed the ward governments to treat same-sex partners of ward employees as "spouses", in line with the Tokyo metropolitan government's policy for their own employees. [9]

List of wards and municipalities

Cities are bolded:

Measures to allow partnership certificates have been proposed in several other administrative wards in Tokyo, such as Chiyoda, Chūō, Katsushika, Kōtō, Nerima, Shinjuku, and Taitō, as well as the city of Higashimurayama. [31]

Prefectural-level partnership registry

On 7 June 2021, the General Affairs Committee of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly unanimously accepted a petition, launched by LGBT activists and signed by 18,000 people, to establish a partnership system in Tokyo Metropolis. [32] Governor Yuriko Koike expressed her support for the move, stating it would "respect the human rights of sexual minorities and promote the understanding of Tokyo citizens regarding diversity". [33] The bill, establishing the "Tokyo Partnership Oath System" (Japanese : 東京都パートナーシップ宣誓制度, romanized: tōkyō to pātonāshippu sensei seido) was enacted by the Metropolitan Assembly on 15 June 2022. It calls on businesses and other entities to treat same-sex partnerships as equal to married couples, allowing couples to access family-use housing, the right to visit their partners in hospital, and to respect children designated as members of the household. In addition, same-sex partners of metropolitan government employees were extended employee allowances and nursing care leave. At least one partner must be resident in Tokyo or a commuter for work. It came into force on 1 November, [34] with applications being accepted from 10 October, [35] making Tokyo the tenth and most-populous prefecture to do so. The Metropolitan Government also completed a mutual recognition agreement with those cities and wards in Tokyo which had already established their own registries since 2015, ensuring that partnerships registered by these cities since would be recognized and affirmed throughout all of Tokyo's cities and wards. [36] On 30 March 2023, this mutual recognition was extended to the city of Chōfu and the wards of Sumida, Suginami, Machida and Hino. [37]

The registry also accepts opposite-sex couples in common-law marriages. The metropolitan government has yet to extend mutual recognition to other prefectures' registries.

Same-sex marriage litigation

2020 Tokyo High Court ruling

A lawsuit was filed by a Tokyo couple on 14 February (Valentine's Day), 2019, and was among several such lawsuits filed that day in other jurisdictions. The plaintiffs, Chizuka Oe and Yoko Ogawa, a couple for 25 years, argued that banning same-sex marriage violates articles 13 and 14 of the Constitution. [38] [39]

On 4 March 2020, the Tokyo High Court ruled that cohabiting same-sex couples should be entitled to the same legal benefits as those granted to cohabiting heterosexual couples. [40] This ruling provided legitimacy to the plaintiff's same-sex relationship, allowing the plaintiff to sue her lesbian partner of seven years for infidelity, a move that was previously restricted to heterosexual partners. [41] The decision was upheld by the Supreme Court of Japan on 18 March 2021.

Statistics

As of June 2022, 604 same-sex partnerships had been registered within Tokyo's cities and wards. By 31 December 2022, 407 certificates had been issued by the metropolitan government. [42] By 30 November 2023, the number of metropolitan-issued certificates had grown to 994 certificates.

Adoption and family planning

Same-sex couples are not allowed to legally adopt in Japan. Lesbian couples and single women are unable to access IVF and artificial insemination. [43]

In April 2021, Adachi became the first ward in Tokyo to establish a "partnership family system" (パートナーシップ・ファミリーシップ制度, pātonāshippu famirīshippu seido), an extension of the partnership oath system which also recognises the children of same-sex couples, and allows partners to make medical decisions for their child, and to pick up their children at schools and kindergartens (whereas previously only the biological parent was allowed to pick up the child). [44] Setagaya reformed their existing partnership system in November 2022 to include the designation of partners' children. [45]

Tokyo's prefectural partnership certificates were designed from the outset to allow the inclusion of the names of children within the partnerships, becoming the first prefecture-level registry to do so. The range of same-sex partners' rights and responsibilities for children in the family has yet to be formally determined.

Discrimination protections and hate crime law

In October 2018, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly passed a law prohibiting all discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, including in employment. [46] The law, which took effect in April 2019, also commits the Metropolitan Government to raise awareness of LGBT people and "conduct measures needed to make sure human rights values are rooted in all corners of the city". The law outlaws expressing hateful rhetoric in public. [47] [48] Prior to this, the wards of Shibuya and Setagaya (March 2018) had already passed explicit protections for LGBT people. [46] [49]

In 1990, the group OCCUR (Japan Association for the Lesbian and Gay Movement) [50] won a court case against a Tokyo government policy that barred gay and lesbian youth from using the "Metropolitan House for Youth". While the court ruling does not seem to have extended to other areas of government-sponsored discrimination, it is cited by the courts as a civil rights case. [46]

LGBT life

Politics

Several milestones in LGBT political history have taken place in Tokyo Metropolis.

In 2003, Aya Kamikawa became the first openly transgender politician to be elected to public office in Japan, winning a seat on the Setagaya Ward Assembly. She initially ran as an independent but expressed support for the now-defunct Rainbow and Greens party and later unsuccessfully ran for the National Parliament as a member of the Democratic Party of Japan. [51]

In 2010, Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara faced international criticism for controversial comments he made, in which he said that gays and lesbians were "deficient somehow. It may be attributed to something genetic. I feel sorry for them being a minority." [52]

In 2011, Taiga Ishikawa became one of the first two openly-gay men elected to office in Japan, winning a seat in the local assembly of Toshima Ward. [53] He came out publicly in his book Where Is My Boyfriend (2002), and started a non-profit organization that sponsors social events for gay men in Japan. Wataru Ishizaka, also openly gay, was elected in the same election to the Nakano ward council in Tokyo.

At the 2019 House of Councillors election, Ishikawa won a seat in the House of Councillors as a member of the CDP, the first openly gay man to do so. [54] [55] After his election, he vowed to legalize same-sex marriage and enact anti-discrimination laws within the six years of his term. [56] [57] [58]

During the country's 2017 general election, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike's newly launched Party of Hope pledged the elimination of LGBT discrimination in its manifesto. [59]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shibuya</span> Special ward in Tokyo, Japan

Shibuya is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station and Shinjuku Station. As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,609 in 142,443 households and a population density of 15,262.01 people per square kilometre. The total area is 15.11 km2 (5.83 sq mi). Notable neighborhoods and districts of Shibuya include Harajuku, Ebisu, Omotesandō, Yoyogi and Sendagaya. "Shibuya" is also commonly used to refer to the area surrounding Shibuya Station, an area known as a major center for Japanese fashion and youth culture, and one of Tokyo's most popular nightlife areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special wards of Tokyo</span> Special form of municipalities in Honshu, Japan

Special wards are a special form of municipalities in Japan under the 1947 Local Autonomy Law. They are city-level wards: primary subdivisions of a prefecture with municipal autonomy largely comparable to other forms of municipalities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Setagaya</span> Special ward in Tokyo, Japan

Setagaya is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood and administrative district within the ward. Its official bird is the azure-winged magpie, its flower is the fringed orchid, and its tree is the Zelkova serrata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akihabara Station</span> Railway and metro station in Tokyo, Japan

Akihabara Station is an interchange railway station in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is at the center of the Akihabara shopping district specializing in electronic goods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokyo Prefecture (1868–1943)</span> Former Japanese government entity

Tokyo Prefecture was a Japanese government entity that existed between 1868 and 1943.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keio Inokashira Line</span> Railway line in Tokyo, Japan

The Keio Inokashira Line is a railway line operated by the Japanese private railway operator Keio Corporation in the western suburbs of Tokyo, connecting Shibuya in Tokyo with Kichijōji in Musashino City. It is not physically connected to the Keio Main Line Network, but a transfer is available at Meidaimae Station. This line is 1,067 mm gauge, unlike other Keio lines which are 1,372 mm gauge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tōkyū Tamagawa Line</span> Commuter railway line in Tokyo, Japan

The Tōkyū Tamagawa Line is a commuter railway line in Japan owned by private railway operator Tokyu Corporation. It runs between Tamagawa and Kamata in southwest Tokyo, entirely within Ōta ward. The operator's name, Tōkyū, is included in the formal name of this line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in Japan</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Japan have fewer legal protections than in most other developed countries, although some developments towards stronger rights have been made in the 2020s. Same-sex sexual activity was criminalised only briefly in Japan's history between 1872 and 1881, after which a localised version of the Napoleonic Penal Code was adopted with an equal age of consent. Same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are ineligible for the legal protections available to opposite-sex couples, although since 2015 some cities and prefectures, covering over 60% of the population by 2023, offer "partnership certificates" to recognise the relationships of same-sex couples and provide some legal benefits. Japan is the only country in the G7 that does not legally recognize same-sex unions nationally in any form. In March 2021 and May 2023, the Sapporo and Nagoya District Courts ruled that not recognising same-sex marriage was a violation of the Constitution respectively. While in June 2022, the Osaka District Court ruled that not recognising same-sex marriage was not a violation of the Constitution, in November 2022, the Tokyo District Court ruled that the absence of same-sex marriage legislation was an unconstitutional state of affairs but did not violate the Constitution, though the court's ruling has no immediate legal effect. In June 2023, the Fukuoka District Court ruled that the ban on same-sex marriage was constitutional. A second ruling in September 2023 concluded that same-sex relationships should not be excluded from Japan's marriage system.

Japan does not recognize same-sex marriages or civil unions. Several municipalities and prefectures issue same-sex partnership certificates, which provide some benefits, but do not offer equal legal recognition. Polling suggests that a significant majority of Japanese people support the legalization of same-sex marriage or partnerships, particularly the younger generation. Politically, the Constitutional Democratic Party, the Japanese Communist Party, the Social Democratic Party, Reiwa Shinsengumi, and Komeito support legalizing same-sex marriage. Nippon Ishin no Kai also supports same-sex marriage, but believes a constitutional amendment is necessary to legalize it. However, the Liberal Democratic Party, which has been in power almost continuously since 1958, remains opposed to it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokyo 6th district</span> Japan House of Representatives constituency

Tokyo 6th district is a constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan. It is located in Tokyo, and consists of a part of Setagaya, one of Tokyo's 23 special wards. With 2.18 times as many voters as Tokushima's 1st district, it had the lowest electoral weight throughout Japan in the election of 2005. In 2007 the Supreme Court dismissed a claim that the election in this and other Tokyo districts was unconstitutional and thus invalid. As of September 2012, 486,353 eligible voters were registered in the district, giving them the third lowest electoral weight in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taiga Ishikawa</span> Japanese politician and LGBT activist

Taiga Ishikawa is a Japanese politician and LGBT activist. He was elected to the House of Councillors in the 2019 Japanese House of Councillors election, becoming the first openly-gay man to be elected to either chamber of the National Diet. Previously, he became one of the first two openly gay male politicians to win an election in Japanese history when he was elected in April 2011 to a seat in the Tokyo's Toshima ward assembly. Wataru Ishizaka, also openly gay, was elected in the same election to the Nakano ward council in Tokyo. Before he was elected to the city council, he was Mizuho Fukushima's chief of staff.

The LGBTQ community in Tokyo is one of the largest in Asia. While Japan does not assign as much moral or social weight to sexuality as in the West, it is still difficult for Japanese people to come out in society as being LGBT; the community reportedly experiences homophobia even amongst those in the community. Only 5% of Japanese people report they know somebody who is LGBT.

Koyuki Higashi is a Japanese LGBT activist, stage actress and writer. From 2005 to 2006, she was an otokoyaku member of the Takarazuka Revue Hana-gumi under the name Aura Maki (あうら真輝). From the fall of 2010, she became involved in LGBT issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Tokyo</span> COVID-19 pandemic in Tokyo, Japan

The first case relating to the COVID-19 pandemic in Tokyo, Japan, was confirmed on January 24, 2020, and on February 13, 2020, the first infection of a Tokyo resident was confirmed. On March 26, 2020, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government established the "Tokyo Novel Coronavirus Infectious Diseases Control Headquarters" based on the Act on Special Measures against New Influenza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokyo 16th district</span> Japan House of Representatives constituency

Tokyo 16th District is an electoral district of the Japanese House of Representatives. The district was created in 1994 as a part of the move towards single-member districts, and is currently represented by the Liberal Democratic member Hideo Ōnishi.

Ibaraki Prefecture was the first prefecture of Japan and in the Kantō region to introduce a partnership registry for same-sex couples, as well as the second in the country to pass LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination protections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Partnership oath in Japan</span> Provides limited benefits to some same-sex couples

As of 27 June 2024, 421 municipalities and 30 prefectures in Japan have established a "partnership oath system", also known as "partnership certification system", which provides same-sex couples with some limited benefits.

Akita Prefecture was the seventh prefecture to create a registry for same-sex partnerships and the third prefecture to prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natsumi Sakai (politician)</span> Japanese politician (born 1986)

Natsumi Sakai is a Japanese politician who currently serves as a member of the House of Representatives for Tokyo-15. She previously served in the Kōtō Ward Assembly, and ran for mayor of Kōtō in 2023 with backing from a majority of the opposition.

References

  1. ↑ Master Blaster. "Japan government hard at work trying to prevent Shibuya Ward approving same-sex marriages". Rocket News 24.
  2. ↑ "The First Place In East Asia To Welcome Same-Sex Marriage". NPR.org. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Tokyo's Shibuya and Setagaya wards issue first same-sex partnership papers". The Japan Times. 5 November 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  4. ↑ 二階堂, 友紀 (26 March 2015). "渋谷区の「同性婚」条例案、自民内から異論相次ぐ". 朝日新聞社. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "Tokyo's Setagaya Ward to begin legally recognizing same-sex partnerships". Rocket News 24. 31 July 2015.
  6. ↑ "Tokyo's Setagaya Ward to begin legally recognizing same-sex partnerships". Japan Today. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  7. ↑ "府中市はじめ都内１２区市で「同性パートナーシップ制度」を導入している自治体の交流組織を結成website=go2senkyo.com" (in Japanese). 20 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "（仮称）パートナーシップ宣誓制度骨子案" (PDF) (in Japanese). Machida City. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  9. ↑ "職員の同性パートナーを「配偶者」扱いに、東京で16の区が条例改正へ 法制化見通せない中で不利益解消目指す：東京新聞 TOKYO Web". 東京新聞 TOKYO Web (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  10. ↑ 同性パートナーシップ制度 江戸川区も導入. 日テレNEWS24 (in Japanese). 15 March 2019.
  11. ↑ "府中市、LGBTパートナー認定 来年4月に" (in Japanese). November 29, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  12. ↑ 東京・豊島区がパートナー制度 条例制定、渋谷に続き全国２例目 (in Japanese). The Sankei News. 22 March 2019. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  13. ↑ "文京区パートナーシップ宣誓の取扱いについて" (PDF). city.bunkyo.lg.jp (in Japanese).
  14. ↑ "みなとマリアージュ制度をスタートします（制度の概要）". city.minato.tokyo.jp (in Japanese).
  15. ↑ "小金井市パートナーシップ宣誓制度の実施について 令和2年10月2日報道発表". www.city.koganei.lg.jp (in Japanese). 2 October 2020.
  16. ↑ "国分寺市パートナーシップ制度". www.city.kokubunji.tokyo.jp (in Japanese). 16 November 2020.
  17. ↑ "足立区が同性パートナーシップ証明制度を来年度から導入することを発表しました". Out Japan (in Japanese). 24 November 2020.
  18. ↑ "足立区パートナーシップ・ファミリーシップ制度を令和3年4月1日から開始します". www.city.adachi.tokyo.jp (in Japanese).
  19. ↑ "くにたちパートナーシップ制度". www.city.kunitachi.tokyo.jp (in Japanese).
  20. ↑ "多摩市パートナーシップ制度について" (in Japanese). Tama City. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  21. ↑ "北区パートナーシップ宣誓制度" (in Japanese). Kita Ward. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  22. ↑ "武蔵野市パートナーシップ制度" (in Japanese). Musashino City. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  23. ↑ "荒川区同性パートナーシップ制度を開始します！" (in Japanese). Arakawa City. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  24. ↑ "調布市パートナーシップ宣誓制度" (in Japanese). Chōfu City. 5 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  25. ↑ "日野市パートナーシップ制度" (in Japanese). Hino City. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  26. ↑ "町田市「パートナーシップ条例」制定へ 「性の多様性」尊重（みんなの経済新聞ネットワーク）". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  27. ↑ "墨田区パートナーシップ宣誓制度について" (PDF) (in Japanese). Sumida City. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  28. ↑ "パートナーシップ制度" (in Japanese). Suginami City. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  29. ↑ "令和4年11月1日、東京都パートナーシップ宣誓制度が導入されました" (in Japanese). Itabashi Ward. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  30. ↑ "三鷹市 ｜三鷹市パートナーシップ宣誓制度" (in Japanese). Mitaka City. 8 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  31. ↑ "一般質問一覧表(令和4年3月定例会)". www.city.higashimurayama.tokyo.jp. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  32. ↑ "都議会 パートナーシップ制度創設の請願を全会一致で採択". NHK (in Japanese). 7 June 2021.
  33. ↑ "同性パートナーシップ制度、東京都で導入検討 小池都知事が表明". HuffPost (in Japanese). 2 June 2021.[ permanent dead link ]
  34. ↑ "Tokyo Assembly Enacts Same-Sex Partnership System". Nippon.com. Tokyo. 15 June 2022.
  35. ↑ "Tokyo adopts 'partnership' status for same-sex couples". Le Monde.fr. 2022-10-10. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
  36. ↑ "都パートナーシップ宣誓制度 16区市と連携｜東京都". www.metro.tokyo.lg.jp. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
  37. ↑ "都パートナーシップ宣誓制度 連携5区市を追加｜東京都". www.metro.tokyo.lg.jp. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  38. ↑ "Same-sex marriage lawsuits to be filed on Valentine's Day by 13 couples nationwide". Mainichi Shimbun. 4 February 2019.
  39. ↑ "最新情報; 東京訴訟". Marriage for All Japan (in Japanese).
  40. ↑ "Top Court Upholds Legal Protection for Same-Sex Partnership". nippon.com. Tokyo. 18 March 2021.
  41. ↑ "Japanese Court Puts Same-Sex Marriage on the Nation's Agenda". www.cfr.org. 30 March 2021.
  42. ↑ "東京都総務局人権部 じんけんのとびら". 東京都総務局人権部　じんけんのとびら (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  43. ↑ "Making LGBT Families a Possibility in Japan". 7 March 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  44. ↑ "リスト：同性パートナーシップ証明制度を導入している／導入予定の自治体". www.outjapan.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-11-28.
  45. ↑ "世田谷区パートナーシップ・ファミリーシップ宣誓". 世田谷区ホームページ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-01-28.
  46. 1 2 3 "Japan - Out Leadership" . Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  47. ↑ Tokyo: New Law Bars LGBT Discrimination. Human Rights Watch, 5 October 2018
  48. ↑ Tokyo adopts ordinance banning discrimination against LGBT community. The Japan Times, 5 October 2018
  49. ↑ "2018 LGBT News in Japan Roundup". Nijiiro News. 3 January 2019. Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  50. ↑ "NPO法人アカー（OCCUR）". Occur.or.jp. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  51. ↑ "Setagaya OKs transsexual's election bid". The Japan Times News. 21 April 2003.
  52. ↑ Kambayashi, Takehiko (26 July 2017). "LGBT politicians in Japan seek to promote awareness, secure rights". DPA International.
  53. ↑ "Taiga Ishikawa is Japan's first openly gay elected official". Tokyomango.com. 2011-05-09. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
  54. ↑ "Gay politician wins Upper House seat with LGBT support". The Asahi Shimbun. 22 July 2019. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  55. ↑ Daniel Reynolds (23 July 2019). "Japan's First Out Gay Lawmaker Vows Same-Sex Marriage 'Will Happen'". The Advocate.
  56. ↑ Damshenas, Sam (25 July 2019). "Japan's first openly gay male member of parliament vows to legalise same-sex marriage". Gay Times.
  57. ↑ Navlakha, Meera (24 July 2019). "Japan's First Openly Gay Parliament Member Promises to Legalize Same-Sex Marriage". Vice News.
  58. ↑ Wakefield, Lily (24 July 2019). "Japan elects gay lawmaker who is 'sure' marriage equality will happen". Pink News.
  59. ↑ Reynolds, Isabel; Nobuhiro, Emi (6 October 2017). "Japan's Opposition Unveils 'Yurinomics' Platform to Challenge Abe". Bloomberg. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.