Logo of Herstory in East AsiaHerstory of East Asia

We want to show "herstory" in East Asia from local perspectives with a timeline and a map in our local languages, so that people from different regions of East Asia can learn more about the stories and rights women and LGBETQ+ have fought for.

Timeline & Map

First same-sex partnership

In February 2015, the Shibuya district council announced that they will draft a proposal to issue “certifications of relationships equivalent to marriage” and would submit it that March. This was the first attempt in Japan by local government officials toward same-sex marriage. On March 31, the "Shibuya Ward Ordinance Promoting a Society that Respects Gender Equality and Diversity," which recognizes same-sex couples as equivalent to marriage and certifies them using registration forms equivalent to those for marriage, was approved by a majority vote at a plenary session of the Shibuya Ward Assembly. A total of 11 of the 34 assembly members, including LDP ward assembly members, voted against the bill. The ordinance calls for respecting gender equality and diversity, and stipulates a "partnership certification." Partnership is defined as "a relationship which has substance to such an extent that it does not differ from a marital relationship between a man and a woman." In consideration of cases in which same-sex couples are refused permission to enter apartments or visit patients at hospitals, the ministry is calling on real estate agents and hospitals to treat same-sex couples with certificates as other male-female couples. The bill also stipulates that the names of businesses that violate the ordinance will be made public if they fail to comply with the ordinance's recommendations.

2015
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Tokyo,Japan
#Sexual Minority Civil Society Movement#Family#Legal Case#System Reformation