In a nation that still forbids equal marriage, Tokyo’s metropolitan administration on Tuesday started distributing partnership certificates to same-sex couples who reside and work in the capital.
The status allows LGBTQ partners to be considered as married couples for some public services in areas including housing, health, and welfare, even though it does not confer the same rights as a marriage.
According to Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, 137 couples have submitted applications for certificates as of last Friday.
According to a survey conducted in 2021 by the public broadcaster NHK, 57 percent of the people supported gay marriage, while 37 percent opposed it.
Japan has made progress in recent years in accepting sexual diversity.
Today, more businesses are showing their support and homosexual characters are featured in television programmes.
