Tokyo district to issue Japan first gay partnership certificate
Source: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
A Tokyo district announced Thursday that it plans to issue “partnership” certificates to gay couples, becoming the first Japanese municipality to recognise same sex units — albeit only symbolically.
The Shibuya district — a crowded business hub that hosts many international firms and embassies, along with trendy fashion houses, cafes and schools — said it planned to draft an ordinance designed to foster diversity and equality. “We have decided to issue the ‘partnership certificate’ as part of our drive to create a society that respects people regarded as a sexual minority,” Shibuya mayor Toshitake Kuwahara told a press conference.
The semi-autonomous locality, often translated as “ward” in English, has 217,000 residents, including nearly 10,000 foreigners.
The municipality has heard from local residents and workers that gay couples often have difficulty renting apartments and are stopped by hospitals from visiting loved ones because they do not have officially recognised family relationships, said a Shibuya official in charge of drafting the legislation.
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Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/02/tokyo-district-to-issue-japan-first-gay-partnership-certificate/
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There is no official City of Tokyo. Essentially, what Westerners think of as "Tokyo" is actually a conglomeration of 23 "ku" which has been translated as "ward(s)" in the past. However, most if not all of these "ku" are now referring to themselves as "cities", each with its own mayor. There is a state-like political division called "Tokyo-to" which would be akin to "New York State", but which locally is given the confusing English moniker of "Tokyo Metropolis". 
