Tokyo begins Partnership Oath System for same-sex partnerships

Among the G7, Japan’s progress on gender and equality is the slowest. On the progress of LGBT, it is the only country among the seven that does not allow same-sex marriages and civil unions. Japan is also ranked last among the seven (and 116th among 146 countries) in the annual Gender Gap Report 2022.

This is why this week’s announcement about Tokyo accepting registrations for same-sex partnerships comes as huge progress for LGBT acceptance. The system is coined the “Tokyo Partnership Oath System.” While there are prefectures that have already implemented these certifications, Tokyo is a point of reference many local governments take to, thus influencing the policies and progress in many parts of Japan. There is also a User Guide in English available on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Human Rights Division website.

The certificate is important in recognizing couples as partners, especially in areas like seeking accommodation and processing medical records. Lacking certification and recognition causes unnecessary inconvenience that “standard” individuals do not experience. These can include being excluded from welfare benefits and social security, or something as simple as being unable to answer binary choice of “male/female” during applications.

While this is good news for sure and deserves a celebration, it is, however, still not enough. Discrimination and inequality still exist, including workplace harassments and bullying. More and more people may be aware of what the term LGBT means, but the low recognition rate of the terms like “SOGI” and “Ally” reflects a lack of understanding for deeper concerns.

And Japan is ripe for change. In a survey of the next generation of youths, gender and equality are two of the top three priorities among elementary and secondary school students. Various local governments are also conducting surveys regarding the awareness of issues the LGBT community face. Popular culture is also slowly picking up related themes for movies, drama, and variety shows, and genderless fashion is trending in Japan. It is time for a commitment from the country’s politicians.