Wednesday 1 April 2009

Quick hit: Japan takes some steps towards same-sex marriage

Found via a Facebook friend linking to it on her profile:
Japanese nationals wanting to marry their same-sex partners who are citizens of countries where such unions are legal may soon be able to do so.

The Japan Times citing unnamed sources reported on Saturday that the Justice Ministry will issue key certificates necessary for Japanese citizens to marry foreign citizens overseas where same-sex marriage is legal.

Under current laws, Japanese nationals, regardless of sexual orientation, who want to marry foreigners abroad must obtain certificates from the ministry by submitting documents that include their name, birth data, sex and nationality, and similar information about their marriage partner.

According to the report, Japan has so far refused to issue the key document required for citizens to wed overseas if the applicant's intended spouse was of the same gender since Japan does not allow same-sex marriages at home.

Under the latest decision, the ministry will issue a new type of certificate that only state that the person is single and of legal age.
Click through for the whole article.

A small step, but at least it is in the right general direction.

1 comment:

James said...

Yes.....well done Japan.Rest of world...catch up.