Recognition of same-sex unions in Japan

[17] While there are no records of same-sex marriages as understood from a Western perspective being performed in pre-modern Japanese culture, there is evidence for identities and behaviours that may be placed on the LGBT spectrum.

[25] 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.

[37] On April 1, 2024, the governments of Osaka, Kyoto and Hyōgo prefectures established the Partnership System Inter-Municipality Collaboration Network (パートナーシップ制度自治体間連携ネットワーク, pātonāshippu seido jichitai-kan renkei nettowāku) as a common mutual agreement through which signatory jurisdictions, including prefectures, cities, towns and villages, may recognize and process each other's partnership registries for purposes of travel or relocation.

By October 23, 2024, 17 additional prefectures (Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Fukui, Fukuoka, Gifu, Gunma, Ibaraki, Mie, Nara, Niigata, Ōita, Saga, Shiga, Toyama, Wakayama and Yamagata) and 150 cities, towns and villages had announced their registries' accession to the network agreement.

In addition, polling suggests high levels of support for same-sex marriage among the Japanese public, notably among women and the younger generation.

Under the change, the Ministry of Justice instructed local authorities to issue the key certificate to citizens who wish to marry their same-sex partners.

[48] Similarly, in April 2020, the deputy head abbot of Kawagoe's Saimyouji temple, announced that he would perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.

[51][52] In March 2019, the Justice Ministry revoked a deportation order for a gay Taiwanese man who had remained in Japan illegally after overstaying his visa, giving consideration to his longtime same-sex relationship with a Japanese national.

The purpose of Article 24 of the Constitution was to assert freedom of consenting adults to marry, and to explicitly establish the equality of both sexes in marriage.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his opinion on the issue:[57] "Extending the institution of marriage to same-sex couples was not anticipated under the current Constitution.

[65] In October, he said that "as far as the government is concerned, it is necessary to closely monitor public opinion, parliamentary debates and lawsuits related to same-sex marriage.

"[67] On 17 December 2024, Ishiba made the following statement about same-sex marriage during a parliamentary session: "I have met concerned individuals, and I can see that being together is the most precious thing to them.

"[68] In January 2023, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed his opinion on the issue: "We need to be extremely careful in considering the matter as it could affect the structure of family life in Japan".

[72] In December 2018, the Constitutional Democratic Party announced it would introduce a bill in 2019 to amend the Civil Code to legalise same-sex marriage.

[74][75][76] In June 2019, the CDP added the legalisation of same-sex marriage and ending discrimination against the LGBT community to their party platform ahead of the 2019 House of Councillors election.

[79] In September 2020, the Nagaokakyō City Assembly adopted a motion urging the National Diet to discuss the legalization of same-sex marriage.

[81] The organisation noted in particular that the COVID-19 pandemic had made same-sex couples more "vulnerable" and "anxious", as they could not visit each other in hospitals nor were they entitled to any legal recognition if one of the partners were to die.

[84] Uchiyama applied for victim compensation from the Aichi Prefectural Public Safety Commission in December 2016 after his partner's murder but was rejected because they were both men.

The Supreme Court held that the law was "meant to cushion the mental and financial blow for the bereaved family", and that "whether the victim's live-in partner is the opposite or same sex does not make an immediate difference in facilitating that reduction".

[86] In response, the government announced on 21 January 2025 that 24 laws regarding protections from domestic violence, lease and rents, and access to child abuse prevention services would apply to same-sex couples.

[92][94] The Chief Cabinet Secretary, Katsunobu Katō, said at a press conference later that day that the Ministry of Justice would analyse the court ruling.

One of the plaintiff couples, Chizuka Oe and Yoko Ogawa, who had been together since 1994, argued that banning same-sex marriage violates articles 13 and 14 of the Constitution.

[99] On 30 May 2023, the Nagoya District Court declared the same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional under both articles 14 and 24, but rejected the plaintiffs' request for ¥1 million in compensation.

[102][103] On 14 March 2024, the Sapporo High Court ruled on appeal that laws disavowing same-sex marriage were unconstitutional under both articles 14 and 24 of the Constitution.

[114][115] The Fukuoka High Court ruled similarly, adding for the first time that the ban also violates Article 13 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to pursuit of happiness.

[125][126] An additional poll conducted by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research in November 2015 showed a 51% majority in support of same-sex marriage, unions or partnerships,[4] while 41% were opposed.

[132][133] A 2019 opinion survey conducted by the Hiroshima Shudo University and published in November 2020 showed that 64.8% of Japanese people supported same-sex marriage, while 30.0% were opposed.

[134] A joint survey by the University of Tokyo and The Asahi Shimbun, conducted between March and April 2020, showed that 46% of Japanese people favored same-sex marriage, 31% were neutral and 23% were opposed.

Professor Masaki Taniguchi, who headed the survey, said it was rare to witness public opinion on a certain issue change so rapidly, noting that support had increased 14% from 2017.

[138] A Pew Research Center poll conducted between June and September 2023 showed that 68% of Japanese people supported same-sex marriage, 26% were opposed and 8% did not know or had refused to answer.