The capital city of Tokyo, Japan recognizes same-sex liaison or partnership by handing out application certificates that provide same-sex partners access to public housing, medical data and recipients of auto and life insurance.
Homosexual Liaisons in tokyo
Homosexuality and liaisons or partnerships never go well together in several countries. There is always resistance or censure arising from a section of a community and in most cases, this resistance is commonly backed by the help of the government. Japan, however, is changing that notion.
The issuance of certificates that concede or permit same-sex partners for the application of public housing like married couples, provisions to medical data accessibility as well as the opportunity to become beneficiaries or recipients of auto and life insurance was distributed to the sexual minorities under the LGBTQ community of Japan in the capital city of Tokyo.
Nonetheless, these certificates are not authenticated or legally binding.
The event took place on November 1, 2022 where same-sex or homosexual couples spoke to the media at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
This makes the city of Tokyo the biggest precinct that does not recognize same-sex marriages yet, to grant such a certificate to the LGBTQ community and acknowledge or approve its existence in the country.
In 2015, the Shibuya district of Tokyo, Japan was the first of its precincts to allow and recognize same-sex liaison in the entirety of the country.
After seven years of Shibuya district’s same-sex or homosexual partnership acceptance, one-fifth of the Japanese precincts or municipalities, which is about 200 smaller towns, also made the decision to uplift the ban on same-sex relationships.
There is gradual progress in Japan with regards to sexual diversification. People that belong to the LGBTQ community in the country continue to be victims of bigotry and hate crime.
Whether at an institution or school, work and even at home, they are still targeted for their sexual identity and preference. This becomes a problem for them and the only way out is to keep their sexual identities a secret.
The majority of Tokyo’s LGBTQ minority couples say that this initiation taken by the government is of great help to them.
With such a step, they believe that there can be improvement in their daily lives by guaranteeing them access to apartment renting, allowing them to inscribe their signature on important matters like medical emergencies and during the time of endowment or inheritance.
Soyoka Yamamoto, a campaigner for the Homosexual partnership recognition by Tokyo said that the certificate is self-explanatory and that she will finally have the courage and confidence to talk about her relationship with her partner to other people.
Soyoka Mamamoto also said that she would often agonize because of the prejudice that she faced daily and would struggle a lot when it came to explaining about the relationship she has with her significant other.
Soyoka’s partner, Yoriko, who only goes by her first name, said that the certificate publicly acknowledges the relationship between her and Soyoka for the first time even though they have been living together for more than a decade now.
Homosexual partners in Tokyo, Japan are generally prohibited from renting apartments. Visitation to hospitals and other different amenities are only available to heterosexual married couples but not for the homosexual partners.
Yoriko said that when her partner, Soyoka had a medical emergency, she called for an ambulance to which she was denied services and was told to ask the permission from Soyoka’s parents first.
During a news seminar advocated by the Partnership Act for Tokyo, Soyoka Yamamoto said, “Our goal is to use the certificate as a springboard for achieving a society where the rights of sexual minorities are protected”.
Another supporter and fellow LGBTQ activist, Fumino Sugiyama stated that the certificates validate the existence of sexual minorities and the importance of recognizing their rights.
He also said that the government of Japan has been creating regulations and facilities that outright disregards the presence of the LGBTQ community, often not noticing them nor their requests.
Sugiyama said that the initiation of the partnership certificates was a step higher but it wasn’t the motive or the destination for Tokyo’s LGBTQ minority couples but only serves as a starting point.
Around 137 applications were received by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government last Friday.
LGBTQ movements that battle for equal rights of sexual minorities and the acceptance of sex-same marriages are often subjected to cold reception and defiance by the conservatives in Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s governing party terming the demands and pleas as “unproductive”.
