Cheering crowds waved flags and marched in Tokyo’s Shibuya district on Sunday for Japan’s first full Pride parade in four years. The celebration marked the progress made by the country’s LGBTQ rights movement, while calling on Japan’s conservative government to legalize same-sex marriage, as it remains the only member of the Group of Seven industrial powers that has not recognized it.
Despite Japan’s slow progress, growing support from the nation’s top business lobby and major companies is putting pressure on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government. Organizers estimated that around 10,000 people marched in Sunday’s parade, where participants voiced their hopes for change. “Japan is really far behind … We will fight until the entire country has same-sex marriage,” said a participant sporting a pink-dyed goatee.
The number of Japanese municipalities allowing same-sex couples to enter partnership agreements has surged from 26 to around 300, covering some 65% of the population since the last pre-pandemic Pride parade in 2019. However, these agreements do not provide for inheritance or parental rights, nor guarantee hospital visits for partners.
Masako Mori, a special advisor to Prime Minister Kishida on LGBTQ affairs, attended the parade but did not mention same-sex marriage in her remarks, instead urging “greater understanding of LGBTQ.”
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida has remained noncommittal about same-sex marriage, despite polls showing that around 70% of the public is in favor of it. Allowing same-sex marriage would require amending the civil code as Japan’s constitution currently refers to marriage as being between “both sexes”. Some lawmakers have vowed to pass a law promoting “understanding of LGBTQ” before the Group of Seven summit next month.
Activists and business leaders, however, have noted that Japan committed to ensuring equal rights and anti-discrimination measures for LGBTQ at last year’s G7 summit. They say that although a law promoting “understanding of LGBTQ” is a good step, it falls short of the country’s obligation to recognize same-sex marriage.
The situation has long limited the talent pool for global firms operating in Japan. Even traditional Japanese companies now find their international competitiveness endangered without diversity, including LGBTQ rights. Japanese firms from Panasonic and manufacturer IHI to Japan Post and Mitsubishi Materials have sponsored this year’s parade, which was dominated by foreign sponsors in the early days of Tokyo Pride.
As businesses increasingly recognize the importance of diversity and inclusivity, Japan’s conservative government may face increasing pressure to follow the lead of other advanced nations in legalizing same-sex marriage.