A decade has passed since Tokyo¡¯s Shibuya and Setagaya wards introduced Japan¡¯s first ¡°partnership system¡± in November 2015, offering public recognition to LGBTQ+ and other sexual-minority couples.
Since then, the system has spread across the country. Such systems are, however, based solely on local ordinances and do not confer rights equivalent to legal marriage. As lawsuits seeking the recognition of same-sex marriage proceed in courts nationwide, municipalities and others continue to explore, through trial and error, how best to protect individual rights.
According to a joint survey by Shibuya Ward and certified nonprofit organization Nijiiro Diversity, as of the end of May, a total of 532 municipalities across Japan had introduced partnership systems, which now cover more than 90% of the national population. Over the past decade, more than 9,800 couples have received partnership certificates.
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