PRESS CONFERENCE
Will Japan Ever Recognize Same-Sex Marriages?
Makiko Terahara, Representative Director, Public Interest Incorporated Association Marriage For All Japan
Gon Matsunaka, Director, Public Interest Incorporated Association Marriage For All Japan
Yuichi Kamiya, Executive Director, Japan Alliance for LGBT Legislation, J-ALL
13:00-14:00 Thursday, February 16, 2023
(The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation)
Although not criminalizing same-sex couples who live together, Japan legally bans these individuals from marrying each other. Japan's LGBTQ community argues that the consequences of not being able to marry go beyond mere disappointment due to a lack of understanding and can, in fact, lead to serious problems for same-sex partners.
These problems are related to current Japanese family law. They include a surviving partner being shut out of the deceased partner's will and being evicted from their shared property; foreign partners who are not granted residency; same-sex partners not having hospital visitation rights; and the surviving partner being separated from the deceased partner's children, despite having raised them together. Public awareness of these problems appears to be growing. A recent Kyodo News poll shows 64 percent of respondents support same-sex marriage, and criticism of the government's conservative stance on the issue is at an all-time high.
How to attend:
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Due to space restrictions attendance will be limited. Doors open 15 minutes before the event. Please sign in, giving your name and contact details at the reception, and have your temperature taken before proceeding.
How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live
Livestreaming of the press events will be available and video of this event will be uploaded to our FCCJ YouTube channel.
How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/HHhctcRh1qZyH2mV9
Members watching the event online can submit questions for the speakers in advance using this submission form.
TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event.
Professional Activities Committee