Japan’s government has decided to allow same-sex couples to be treated as being in de facto marriages under a total of nine more laws and ordinances,
The move follows a High Court ruling delivered in March 2024, which stated that denying marriage equality to same-sex couples in Japan is unconstitutional and called on the government to take action to address the lack of protections.
In March 2024, the Sapporo High Court ruled that not granting same-sex couples the right to marry and enjoy the same benefits as their heterosexual counterparts amounted to a violation of their fundamental right to equality and freedom of marriage.
Japan remains the only Group of Seven major industrialized country that has not legalized same-sex marriage or civil unions, despite growing pressure from the LGBTQ community and its supporters.
Although Japan does not recognize same-sex marriage, a majority of Japanese show their support, and a number of municipalities issue partnership certificates for LGBTQ couples.
