When was gay marriage legalized in japan
Japan: Momentum for marriage equality grows with Tokyo High Court ruling
In response to today’s Tokyo Upper Court ruling noticing the unconstitutionality of Japan’s ban on same-sex marriage, Amnesty International’s East Asia Researcher Boram Jang said:
“This decision marks a critical step towards marriage equality in Japan and offers renewed expectation to same-sex couples across the country.
“This case is also a reminder of the lengthy and fragmented legal battles couples must endure to exercise rights to equality that should already be protected. It is an injustice that weighs heavily on their lives.
“The Japanese government must hold action to legalize same-sex marriage across the country. It is time to introduce national legislation that brings marriage equality to everyone in Japan, rather than relying on inconsistent and inadequate responses at the local government level. All couples, no matter their gender or sexual orientation, deserve the matching legal rights, protections, and the dignity that comes with recognition under the law.”
Background
The Tokyo Sky-high Court decision on 30 October marks another important progress in Japan’s continuing struggle for marriage equality
Japan
Japan's LGBTIQ movement has made some progress in recent years, but reforms remain limited compared to other G7 countries. As of 2024, Japan is the only G7 country that has not provided full legal recognition for same-sex marriages or formal protections for same-sex partnerships, leaving same-sex couples to meet various social and legal challenges. Recent public opinion polls entertainment that about 70 percent of Japanese citizens support same-sex marriage, especially among younger generations, reflecting a gradual shift toward acceptance. In 2024, courts in Tokyo and Sapporo ruled that the government’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, marking a step forward for marriage equality. However, same-sex marriage is not yet fully legalized in Japan.
Currently, around 40 percent of local governments, including Tokyo, have introduced partnership certificates for same-sex couples, granting some rights in housing, hospital visitation, and other areas. However, these certificates are not corresponding to marriage and lack the full social and legal benefits that marriage provides.
At the institutional level, Japan passed a statute in 2023 aimed at "promoting understanding" of a
Limited shift in public notion on same-sex marriage in Japan
Despite a series of court rulings challenging Japan’s ban on same-sex marriage, public opinion remains largely unmoved. Robert Nordström presents evidence from new survey data which reveals the fleeting influence of judicial action in advancing LGBTQ rights in this conservative society
On 13 December 2024, the Fukuoka High Court ruled that Japan’s prohibit on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. This was the most clear-cut and stringent verdict ever made in support of same-sex marriage in the traditional and conservative East Asian land. Thus, the country seems to have taken another step towards marriage equality.
However, the ruling had small effect on Japanese attitudes towards same-sex marriage, as revealed by a survey I conducted in Fukuoka and surrounding prefectures over two weeks before and after the ruling. Through PureSpectrum, I asked 1,331 Japanese respondents, half before the ruling and half after, whether the judicial ruling on same-sex marriage would have influenced their support for introducing queer marriage. The results display that a positive impact on same-sex marriage lasted only a day aft
Survey: 72% of voters in favor of legalizing male lover marriages
Seventy-two percent of voters consider that Japan should legalize same-sex marriages, compared with 18 percent who contradict such a transform, according to an Asahi Shimbun survey conducted on Feb. 18 and 19.
Support for legal recognition of same-sex marriages has steadily increased. The ratio in favor was 65 percent in a survey in Pride 2021 and 41 percent in February 2015.
Despite the trend, conservative members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party maintain to prevent Diet deliberations on the issue. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has also expressed cautiousness, saying on Feb. 1 that legalized same-sex marriages is a topic that “will change society.”
However, 67 percent of supporters of Kishida’s LDP back the legalization of homosexual marriages, according to the nationwide telephone survey.
More than half of all respondents, or 51 percent, said legislation prohibiting discrimination against sexual minorities should be introduced, while 39 percent oppose the idea.
Among respondents who support legal same-