Monthly Archives July 2016

Rakuten to recognize same-sex partners as spouses and offer married employee benefits to same-sex couples. Five initiatives aimed at LGBT customers such as Rakuten Wedding are being implemented.

Rakuten Inc, a famous online shopping mall and shopping-website operator with one hundred million customers, announced that it will expand the definition of “spouse” to same-sex partners at the board meeting on July 22nd. Under the new rule, same-sex partners of employees are eligible for the same benefits as married couples including condolence leave and consolation payments. Submission of documents with their signatures is required for the recognition, Rakuten Inc has more than 13,000 employees including non-Japanese employees. Rakuten Inc has worked on establishing in-house systems that promotes acceptance and understanding of people from different social backgrounds. Last June, LGBT
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Naha City is to become the 5th municipality that officially recognizes same-sex couples and issues same-sex partnership certificates. PinkDot Okinawa is to hold a wedding for a local gay couple.

On July 8th, Naha City, well known for its active role in LGBT rights movements and its declaration of support for LGBT community called “Naha Rainbow Declaration,” started issuing same-sex partnership certificates that recognize same-sex couples as equivalent to “married.” Naha City is the first city in Okinawa and the 5th local municipality in Japan that has the same-sex partnership system. Okinawa is the first local municipality that has both a same-sex partnership system and an official declaration of support for LGBT. According to the mayor of Naha City, Mikiko Shiroma, the same-sex partnership certificate is given to a couple
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A memorial service in 2chome for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shootings in Orlando.

Two days after the Pulse Nightclub shootings in Orlando, Florida, a memorial service for the victims was held in 2chome on the night of June 14th. The memorial service, held by Rainbow Protesters, began at the intersection located in 2chome at 8p.m. Many gay couples and people on the way home from work, holding rainbow flags and message boards that say “NO HATE,” gathered at the intersection and prayed for the victims. At first, there were about 50 people in the memorial service, but more and more people came to the ceremony and the intersection was filled with about 100
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Mie Prefectural Assembly unanimously passed a written opinion that asks for improvements of LGBT rights in Japan.

Mr. Inamori, an assemblyman of Mie Prefecture On June 30th, Toshinao Inamori, an assemblyman in Mie Prefecture submitted a written opinion that asks for abolition of discriminatory treatments against sexual minorities and improvements of LGBT rights in Japan. Mie Prefectural Assembly passed the written opinion unanimously. Mie Prefectural Assembly is now petitioning the Japanese government for establishment of laws that would ban discriminatory treatments against LGBT people in Japan. Mie Prefecture became the 4th local municipality that officially recognizes same-sex couples this year and the written opinion is to prevent those same-sex couples from getting discriminated when they start to
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