Ibaraki Prefecture said Monday it would start issuing partnership certificates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples from July 1.

Smaller municipalities have launched similar systems for recognizing partnerships of sexual minorities since Tokyo's Shibuya and Setagaya wards started them in 2015, but Ibaraki will be the first among Japan's 47 prefectures to do so.

"This is a matter of human rights, and we must work swiftly in order to eliminate discrimination and prejudices," said Ibaraki Gov Kazuhiko Oigawa at a press conference.

To be recognized, applicants must both be at least 20 years old and live in the prefecture, among other requirements, according to the Ibaraki government.

While the certificate is not legally binding, it will allow the couples the ability to rent at prefecture-run housing or giving consent for surgeries at the Ibaraki Prefectural Central Hospital, among other situations in which they have historically faced difficulties.

Ibaraki created in November a comprehensive plan for promoting diversity, and its assembly passed in March an ordinance that bans discrimination against sexual minorities, the second such case among Japan's prefectures after Tokyo.

While members from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who make up the largest faction in the prefectural assembly, were reluctant to introduce the partnership system, the Ibaraki government made the move after launching in April a study group for supporting LGBT people. The group urged Oigawa to introduce the plan in a report earlier this month. </s> Authorities in Ibaraki Prefecture said Monday they would start issuing partnership certificates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples from July 1, in an effort to address inequalities with legally married couples.

A total of 22 municipalities across the country have launched similar systems to recognize partnerships between members of sexual minorities since the wards of Shibuya and Setagaya in Tokyo began issuing them in 2015, but Ibaraki will be the first of the nation’s 47 prefectures to do so.

“This is a matter of human rights, and we must work swiftly in order to eliminate discrimination and prejudice,” said Ibaraki Gov. Kazuhiko Oigawa at a news conference.

To be recognized, applicants must be at least 20 years old and live in the prefecture, as well as meeting other requirements, according to Ibaraki Prefectural Government.

While the certificates are not legally binding, they will allow the couples to rent at prefecture-run housing or giving consent for surgeries at the Ibaraki Prefectural Central Hospital, among other situations in which they have historically faced difficulties.

In November, Ibaraki created a comprehensive plan for promoting diversity, and in March its assembly passed an ordinance that bans discrimination against sexual minorities — the second prefectural authority to do so after Tokyo.

Members from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who make up the largest faction in the prefectural assembly, were reluctant to introduce the partnership system, claiming that public understanding of such moves is not yet adequate. But Ibaraki went ahead with the policy after launching in April a study group on support for LGBT people. The group urged Oigawa to introduce the plan in a report issued earlier this month.

In addition, the prefecture is set to review gender categories on a variety of documents and establish a consultation service on LGBT issues. It will also conduct a survey on LGBT issues.

Earlier this month, major opposition parties submitted to the Diet a bill that would permit same-sex marriage — just weeks after the government of Taiwan became the first in Asia to legalize gay marriage.

The bill, which adopts neutral language — with the terms “party of marriage” used in place of “husband” and “wife” — is unlikely to go far in the Diet, where the ruling LDP has barely budged on moves to advance civil rights for LGBT people. </s> Ibaraki Prefecture has became the first prefecture to officially recognize same-sex couples in the same way it deals with married ones.

Under the system, LGBT couples who submit “partnership oaths” will be treated in a manner similar to that for a husband and wife, such as when they apply to move into prefecture-run housing.

According to the prefectural government, two couples submitted their oaths on Monday, the first day of the new system.

One was submitted by Yuri Namekawa, 32, an openly lesbian member of the Mito Municipal Assembly, and her partner, who is also in her 30s. They said they have been in a relationship for 2½ years and currently live together.

“I’ve felt a sense of responsibility, much like that of a married couple,” the assembly member from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan told a news conference after submitting her oath.

“I never thought I would be able to ‘tie the knot.’ I am happy that I was able to experience that feeling a little,” she said.

Namekawa expressed hope for an increase in opportunities for LGBT couples to be treated like a husband and wife by private entities. </s> Although the countrywide legalization of same-sex marriage remains a far-off reality in Japan, local governments are taking the lead in working toward greater equality for LGBT people, despite the lack of action at the national level.

Today marked a new milestone in the progress of LGBT rights in Japan, as Ibaraki prefecture said that next month it will start issuing partnership certificates for gay and transgender couples, the first prefectural-level government in Japan to do so. It follows similar moves by 22 other municipal governments, beginning with the wards of Shibuya and Setagaya in Tokyo in 2015. So far this year, 13 local governments have adopted the policy, including most recently Kanuma city in Tochigi prefecture and Miyazaki city. Others will officially implement the policy in the coming weeks, including the city of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka prefecture.

Ibaraki was also the second prefecture after Tokyo to pass an ordinance that bans discrimination against sexual minorities earlier this year (link in Japanese).

A same-sex partnership does not give couples the same rights as married couples, but it does allow for partners to make medical decisions for a significant other and live together in public housing.

Aya Kamikawa, a transgender assembly member for Tokyo’s Setagaya ward, tweeted that the move by Ibaraki was significant based on population size. Until now, the biggest area by population to issue same-sex partnership certificates was Osaka city, which has 2.7 million inhabitants; Ibaraki has almost 3 million, she said.

The legalization of same-sex marriage at the national level is still a distant reality in Japan, as the Liberal Democratic Party, which advocates conservative family values, looks set to remain in power for years to come. Those values, however, have increasingly clashed with those of younger generations, who are overwhelmingly receptive of same-sex relationships. Tokyo hosting the Olympics in 2020 has also drawn global attention to Japan’s track record on LGBT rights, namely its position as the only G7 country that doesn’t have marriage equality.

In February, 13 same-sex couples filed the country’s first lawsuit challenging the ban on gay marriage, arguing that it is unconstitutional. Earlier this month, opposition parties submitted the country’s first ever same-sex-marriage bill, which is very unlikely to make headway in the legislature. Kanako Otsuji of the Constitutional Democratic Party, the first openly gay member of parliament, told Reuters that the government was “totally out of synch” with popular opinion on gay marriage. At a local level, sexual minorities are becoming more visible: in April, the first transgender person was elected to a prefectural assembly, in Hokkaido.

Another major battle in the fight for LGBT equality in Japan is over the law regarding transgender people. In January, the supreme court upheld a requirement that transgender people must be sterilized if they want to have their gender changed on official documents, rejecting an appeal by a transgender man who said such a law was unconstitutional. Groups such as Human Rights Watch have called the law an affront to international medical standards and treats transgender people as mentally ill. </s> The government granted refugee status to a foreign national in 2018 over fears of persecution owing to the person’s homosexuality, informed sources said Tuesday.

This is the first time Japan has recognized a foreign national as a refugee for such a reason, according to the Immigration Services Agency.

The agency did not disclose the nationality, gender or other personal details of the person in question.

Sexual acts between members of the same sex are subject to imprisonment in the home country of the foreign national. The person was arrested and held in prison for two years there.

The person applied for refugee status after being freed on bail and arriving in Japan.

According to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), some 70 countries, mainly Middle East and African nations, ban same-sex relationships.

Japan is seeing an increase in moves to support the rights of LGBT couples. On Monday, Ibaraki Prefecture became the first prefecture to officially recognize same-sex couples.

The Immigration Services Agency said 10,493 people applied for refugee status in Japan in 2018. Of them, 42 were given refugee status for fears of persecution because of homosexuality, religion, political thought or other reasons. </s> Hundreds of couples in Taiwan are rushing to tie the knot on the first day a landmark decision to legalise same-sex marriage takes effect.

A registration office in Taipei was packed on Friday as couples seized the earliest opportunity to marry.

Taiwan became the first place in Asia to allow same-sex marriage last week in a legislative vote on a cause that LGBT rights activists on the island have championed for two decades.

A Taipei resident who did not want to be identified said he and his partner feel lucky they are able to tell everyone they are now married.

Taiwan’s interior ministry said about 300 same-sex couples are expected to register on Friday. </s> Taiwan’s constitutional court declared on Wednesday that same-sex couples have the right to legally marry, the first such ruling in Asia. The court, known as the Judicial Yuan, said current marriage laws were “in violation of both the people’s freedom of marriage … and the people’s right to equality”, and it gave two years for legal amendments to allow same-sex marriage.

“If relevant laws are not amended or enacted within the said two years, two persons of the same sex who intend to create the said permanent union shall be allowed to have their marriage registration effectuated,” the court said.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights activists had harboured high hopes their years of campaigning for same-sex marriage would win the court’s backing.

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party that swept national elections in the self-ruled island last year supports the change.

The ruling clearing the way for same-sex marriage is the first in Asia, where socially conservative attitudes largely hold sway.

But Taiwan has a reputation as a beacon of liberalism in the region.

“Sexual orientation is an immutable characteristic that is resistant to change,” the court said.

“Furthermore, the freedom of marriage for two persons of the same sex, once legally recognised, will constitute the collective basis, together with opposite-sex marriage, for a stable society,” it said.

Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade province, has a famous annual gay pride parade that showcases the vibrancy of its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now </s> Taiwan made history on Friday with Asia's first legal gay weddings as same-sex couples tied the knot in jubilant and emotional scenes, the culmination of a three-decade fight for equality.

The weddings, which came a week after lawmakers took the unprecedented decision to legalise gay marriage despite staunch conservative opposition, places Taiwan at the vanguard of the burgeoning gay rights movement in Asia.

Around a dozen couples were among the first to arrive at a government office in downtown Taipei to legally register their relationships as marriages.

They embraced and kissed in front of the gathered press before proudly holding aloft their wedding certificates as well as new identity cards listing each other as spouses.

Among those tying the knot were social worker Huang Mei-yu and her partner You Ya-ting.

They held a religious blessing conducted by a progressive Buddhist master in 2012 but longed for the same legal rights granted heterosexuals.

'It's belated, but I'm still happy we can officially get married in this lifetime,' Huang told AFP after signing her marriage certificate, clutching a bouquet and beaming.

Legal recognition of their love, she said, was a crucial step and might help others accept their relationship.

'Now that same-sex marriage is legally recognised, I think my parents might finally feel that it's real and stop trying to talk me into getting married (to a man),' she said.

Shane Lin and Marc Yuan, a couple who fell in love at college, were the first to register.

'It's not been an easy journey and I'm very lucky to have the support of my other half, my family and friends,' Lin told reporters through tears.

'Today I can say in front of so many people that we are gay and we are getting married. I'm really proud that my country is so progressive,' he added.

Taiwan made history last week when it became the first place to legalise gay marriage in Asia, home to 60 percent of the world's population.

But the issue has also caused deep divisions on an island that remains staunchly conservative, especially outside of the cities and among the older generation.

Some 300 same-sex couples are expected to register on Friday, according to local authorities, around 150 in the capital Taipei which boasts a thriving and vocal gay community.

The city hall hosted an outdoor wedding party at the foot of the famous Taipei 101 skyscraper with dignitaries from Canada, Spain and Britain giving speeches welcoming Taiwan into the handful of liberal democracies that have legalised same-sex marriage.

For veteran gay rights activist Chi Chia-wei - dressed in an eye-catching red suit with a rainbow headband - Friday's registrations were the culmination of a three-decade fight trying to persuade successive governments to change the law.

It was Chi who eventually petitioned Taiwan's Constitutional Court leading to a 2017 judgement that denying same-sex couples the right to marry was unconstitutional.

Facing an imminent court deadline, parliament finally passed a bill last Friday allowing same-sex couples to form 'exclusive permanent unions' and another clause that would let them apply for a 'marriage registration' with government agencies.

'I feel very happy that same-sex couples can finally register and be listed as each other's spouse. I am honoured to witness Friday's marriage registrations,' he told AFP.

In the last decade Taiwan has become increasingly progressive on gay rights with Taipei hosting by far Asia's largest pride parade.

But the issue has polarised society.

Conservative and religious groups mobilised after the court ruling and comfortably won a series of referendums last November in which voters comprehensively rejected defining marriage as anything other than a union between a man and a woman.

Conservative lawmakers put forward rival bills that offered something closer to limited same-sex unions but those measures failed as parliament comfortably passed the gay marriage law.

However, the new law still contains restrictions not faced by heterosexual couples.

Same-sex couples can currently only adopt their partners' biological children and can only wed foreigners from countries where gay marriage is also recognised.

Gay rights groups say they are willing to accept partial equality for now in the hopes of winning later legal battles over issues such as adoption, surrogacy and marrying foreigners.

Opponents have vowed to punish President Tsai Ing-wen and the lawmakers who supported the gay marriage law at January's elections when Taiwanese will elect both a new president and a new parliament. </s> Hundreds of same-sex couples in Taiwan are rushing to get married on the first day a landmark decision to legalise same-sex marriage takes effect.

One household registration office in Taipei was packed as couples seized the earliest opportunity to tie the knot.

Taiwan became the first place in Asia to allow same-sex marriage last week in a legislative vote on a cause that LGBT rights activists on the island have championed for two decades.

A Taipei resident who identified himself only by a nickname said he and his partner feel lucky that they are able to tell everyone that they have gotten married.

Taiwan's Ministry of the Interior said about 300 same-sex couples are expected to register today.
Ibaraki Prefecture says it will start issuing partnership certificates for lesbian, gay and transgender couples starting July 1. It would be the first such prefectural policy in the history of Japan.