Japanese assemblyman and Taiwan spouse urge Tokyo to legalise same-sex marriage Masahiro Shibaguchi of the Communist Party, and his spouse Ariel Ling-chun Liu, who also lives in Japan, travelled to Taiwan to register their marriage Japan remains the only G7 nation that does not recognise same-sex marriage, and lawsuits have been filed by couples seeking to make their relationships legal
Masahiro Shibaguchi, left, a Japanese assemblyman of Takahama City, with his Taiwanese husband Liu Ling-chun. Photo: CNA An openly gay assemblyman from Aichi Prefecture and his Taiwanese partner, having just registered their union in Taipei, called on Tokyo on Monday to swiftly legalise same-sex marriage to ensure equality for sexual minorities.
Takahama city assembly member Masahiro Shibaguchi, 53, of the Japanese Communist Party, and his spouse Ariel Ling-chun Liu, 38, who also lives in Japan, travelled to Taiwan to register their marriage in Taipei City’s Datong District on August 11.
Japan remains the only Group of Seven nation that does not recognise same-sex marriage. A number of lawsuits have been filed in the country by same-sex couples seeking to make their relationships legal.
Liu said he does not qualify for a spouse visa in Japan and has to rely on his work visa to remain in the country, where he is a researcher and a teacher of the Chinese language, Taiwanese literature and gender studies at several universities.
My Japanese husband and I were in exactly the same situation. We got legally married in the US but we still can’t register our marriage here in Japan due to the ongoing anti-gay discrimination by the Japanese government, so we still have no legal rights as a couple here.
Like the couple in the source story, I had to rely on my work to be able to stay in Japan. The government’s continued refusal to grant spousal visas to foreign same-sex spouses of gay Japanese citizens with legal marriages from abroad is a serious hardship for us. The leadership of the LDP simply doesn’t care about human rights on any scale.
What is stopping Japan from legalizing this? It seems like such a non-issue and easy to do.
Japan drops COVID test requirement, raises daily cap for entry https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Japan-drops-COVID-test-requirement-raises-daily-cap-for-entry
Japan, U.S. congratulate Lai; pledge to keep unofficial ties with Taiwan https://japantoday.com/category/politics/update1-japan-u.s.-congratulate-lai-vow-to-keep-unofficial-ties-with-taiwan
4 comments
Save you click:
Japanese assemblyman and Taiwan spouse urge Tokyo to legalise same-sex marriage
Masahiro Shibaguchi of the Communist Party, and his spouse Ariel Ling-chun Liu, who also lives in Japan, travelled to Taiwan to register their marriage Japan remains the only G7 nation that does not recognise same-sex marriage, and lawsuits have been filed by couples seeking to make their relationships legal
Masahiro Shibaguchi, left, a Japanese assemblyman of Takahama City, with his Taiwanese husband Liu Ling-chun. Photo: CNA
An openly gay assemblyman from Aichi Prefecture and his Taiwanese partner, having just registered their union in Taipei, called on Tokyo on Monday to swiftly legalise same-sex marriage to ensure equality for sexual minorities.
Takahama city assembly member Masahiro Shibaguchi, 53, of the Japanese Communist Party, and his spouse Ariel Ling-chun Liu, 38, who also lives in Japan, travelled to Taiwan to register their marriage in Taipei City’s Datong District on August 11.
Japan remains the only Group of Seven nation that does not recognise same-sex marriage. A number of lawsuits have been filed in the country by same-sex couples seeking to make their relationships legal.
Liu said he does not qualify for a spouse visa in Japan and has to rely on his work visa to remain in the country, where he is a researcher and a teacher of the Chinese language, Taiwanese literature and gender studies at several universities.
My Japanese husband and I were in exactly the same situation. We got legally married in the US but we still can’t register our marriage here in Japan due to the ongoing anti-gay discrimination by the Japanese government, so we still have no legal rights as a couple here.
Like the couple in the source story, I had to rely on my work to be able to stay in Japan. The government’s continued refusal to grant spousal visas to foreign same-sex spouses of gay Japanese citizens with legal marriages from abroad is a serious hardship for us. The leadership of the LDP simply doesn’t care about human rights on any scale.
What is stopping Japan from legalizing this? It seems like such a non-issue and easy to do.
Good