Japan PM Ishiba’s sympathetic comments on same-sex marriage spark hope among activists

His remarks come after a series of court rulings saying the country’s current prohibitions on marriage equality were unconstitutional

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Plaintiffs and their supporters celebrate after a Japanese high court ruled that the country’s refusal to recognise same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, outside the Fukuoka High Court in southern Japan, on December 13. Photo: AP

Published: 8:01am, 20 Dec 2024Updated: 11:51am, 20 Dec 2024

While Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba says he has no plans to legalise same-sex marriage through the legislature, his sympathetic comments about the issue are being hailed by activists as a promising signal of changing attitudes within Japan’s leadership.

Ishiba, speaking before the Diet on Tuesday, said that while he personally believes same-sex unions would “make the nation happier”, he does not plan to introduce legislation granting equal marriage rights.

The prime minister was speaking just days after a third high court ruled that Japan’s failure to legally recognise same-sex marriages breached the constitution and, in a legal first, declared those provisions in the civil code contravened Article 13, which guarantees “the pursuit of happiness”.

To campaigners like Alexander Dmitrenko, a partner in the Tokyo office of the Ashurst multinational law firm and co-chair of the Lawyers for LGBT & Allies Network NPO, Ishiba’s comments are a sign that the resistance to marriage equality in Japan is crumbling and the right will be enshrined in law sooner rather than later.

“Compared to other prime ministers, there is a big difference in Ishiba’s tone, his direction and his outlook and we are clearly getting to the stage for Japan to take the next step in the right direction on marriage equality,” Dmitrenko told This Week in Asia.

“I interpret Ishiba’s comments this week very positively.”