Tag Archives: japan

Japanese Partnership Registries are Being Standardized

Politics, ,

As of November 1, 20 prefectures and 150 municipalities in Japan have joined a sort of “interstate compact” for partnership registries, the “Partnership System Municipal Cooperation Network”. While multiple such agreements were established between cities and some between prefectures, this is the first to be advertised as one which any jurisdiction in Japan can join.

Outside of recognition by the national government and ongoing litigation in national courts on same-sex marriage, this network is the most high-profile effort at a national partnership registry for same-sex and unmarried couples in Japan to date. It is also the most serious attempt at such since the first partnership registry was established in Shibuya ward in Tokyo in 2015.

Should be interesting to watch progress on this network in 2025, despite what’s likely to happen in the United States.

2022 is a Banner Year for Same-sex Partnerships in Japan

Uncategorized, , ,

Despite some legal setbacks, many Japanese jurisdictions have moved ahead with strengthening recognition and registration of same-sex couples:

  • A record number of cities and wards enacted partnership registries on a single day (1 April)
  • Tokyo is set to (finally) establish a prefecture-wide partnership registry on 1 November
  • Saga and Fukuoka prefectures, both on Kyushu, established a mutual recognition agreement (18 August), the first between prefectures.
  • Crystal ball notes:
    • I would not be surprised if mutual recognition between prefectural governments becomes more of a thing in lieu of any national-level recognition
    • In Taiwan’s spree of local registries from 2015 to 2018 prior to same-sex marriage, at least one agreement was made, this being between Taipei and Kaohsiung city governments.
    • While Shibuya in Tokyo was the first in Japan to create a partnership registry, the city of Fukuoka was the first to establish a mutual recognition agreement with other cities, and has done so mostly with other cities’ registries on the island of Kyushu.
    • Most other cities which have established these mutual recognition agreements have mostly done so within the same prefecture.
    • This agreement between Saga and Fukuoka is likely to do a lot of advancement for the cause of same-sex civil recognition in Japan, cutting some red tape.
    • Saga and Fukuoka are two of eight prefectures with same-sex partnerships created since 2019, with three others (Tochigi, Shizuoka and Tokyo) joining throughout the autumn. Saga and Fukuoka are also two prefectures with registries which border each other.
    • Aomori and Akita, which also have registries, also border each other in Northern Honshu, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they also make an agreement soon.
    • With Tochigi enacting their registry on 1 September, I wouldn’t be surprised at a mutual agreement between Tochigi, Ibaraki and Gunma.
    • Based on the above, why are Saitama and Kanagawa holding out on prefectural registries?