The certificate is not legally binding, as Japan’s Constitution does not recognise same-sex marriage.
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Amid a flurry of camera snaps and emphatic smiles outside of Shibuya’s government headquarters on Thursday, Higashi, an actress, said: “As a first step, I hope this will spread across Japan”.
Holding rainbow fans and grinning from ear to ear, a couple in Japan was photographed on Thursday with a very special document clutched in their hands: a marriage certificate officially recognizing their same-sex union.
A municipality in Japan’s capital of Tokyo on Thursday issued a certificate to a same-sex couple recognising their partnership as equivalent to marriage.
The first recipient couple of the Shibuya Ward certificate are Hiroko Masuhara, a 37-year-old company owner, and her associate Koyuki Higashi, 30, a former member of the Takarazuka Revue all-female theater troupe.
While Japan is largely tolerant of homosexuality there is no specific legal protection for gay people, who complain that they may be prevented from visiting loved ones in hospitals or may be refused tenancy because their relationship is not regarded as in line with social norms.
“I am exhilarated that the city I am living has recognized my partner as my family”, said Masuhara, 37.
Although LGBT activists praised Shibuya and Setagaya’s move to recognize same-sex unions, they noted the ordinances’ many limitations. Setagaya ward, also in Tokyo, also begun issuing certificates today. In a poll by the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper this year, 44% of respondents approved of same-sex marriage, while 39% opposed it.
Mobile phone carriers NTT DoCoMo and KDDI have also said in recent months that they would expand family discount services to cover gay partners.
Officials in Shibuya say they’re aiming to change this however, by listing the hospitals and real estate firms which discriminate against the LGBT community on a government website. “It is unfortunate that there are many things that can not be done and can not be recognised because the number [of gay couples] is small”.
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“I hope the day will come soon when there will be equality in society”, Ms Higashi said, according to the AFP news agency.
