On December 2, the eighth Marriage For All Japan Diet Caucus (マリフォー国会) was held in Tokyo. LGBTQ+ people and advocates from across Japan came together and met with a multipartisan group of lawmakers to rally in support of marriage equality.
Multipartisan support for marriage equality
Plaintiffs and lawyers from the six Marriage For All Japan court cases, representatives of LGBTQ+ groups from across Japan, and others seeking the speedy realization of marriage equality headed to Nagatachō on Tuesday, December 2. There, they gathered in the First Members’ Office Building of the House of Representatives. Addressing Diet members seated across from them, they delivered heartfelt pleas, asking for legislation.
The multipartisan crowd of politicians, in turn, responded to their pleas by reaffirming the need for a society where who you can love or marry isn’t limited by one’s (legal) sex or gender, and by promising to work hard to deliver legislation.
The event followed the conclusion of the sixth and final Marriage For All Japan high court case. In the five other cases, the high courts of Sapporo, Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Osaka had all declared the exclusion of same-sex couples from the benefits of marriage unconstitutional. In the second Tokyo High Court case, however, the presiding judge ruled on November 28 that the present state of affairs is constitutional. This recent ruling, widely seen as a major upset that angered many, set the tone for the gathering.
Many jurisdictions in Japan have implemented “partnership systems” that confer some benefits to LGBTQ couples. Such systems now cover over 90% of the country’s population. However, these local policies remain a far cry from full-fledged marriage equality and don’t grant any legal rights. Japan’s Diet has failed to act on marriage equality despite widespread public support.
LGBTQ people express their frustrations
Plaintiffs from the six different cases, as well as others affected by the lack of marriage equality, voiced their frustrations and uncertainties. Takami Akikazu, a plaintiff in the Nagoya case, has been raising a child with his partner as a foster parent for two years now. When it was his turn to speak, he emphasized that he doesn’t experience much discrimination in his daily life, and he actually finds himself in an environment where he can raise the child without much issue.
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But, Takami continued, when it comes to legal matters such as inheritance, or the house, or the thought of what would happen if his partner were to die in an accident one day, he is confronted with a harsh reality—a reality that the second Tokyo High Court ruling deems natural. As both a foster parent and a parent in general, he is angered by the ruling’s wording, which emphasizes that nearly 100% of children are born and raised by married couples.
第8回(‘25.12.2)マリフォー国会【字幕･手話通訳有 】
第８回マリフォー国会（2025.12.2（火）午後5～7時） 「手話通訳」と「リアルタイム字幕」ありの配信です。 結婚の自由をすべての人に東京二次訴訟高裁判決（’25.11.28)直後の開催です。 お詫び 手話、字幕の画面が31:39 から31:54 まで乱れてしまいました。 大変申し訳ありませんでした。 ＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊ （敬称略） 1:58 開催挨拶 マリフォー理事 上杉崇子 5:39 吉田 晴美 衆議院議員（立憲） 6:42 赤嶺 政賢 衆議院議員（共産） 7:36 高良 沙哉 参議院議員（無所属） 8:10 石井 智恵 衆議院議員（国民） 8:54 原田 大二郎 参議院議員（公明） 9:31 藤原 規眞 衆議院議員（立憲） 10:17 岩谷 良平 衆議院議員（維新） 10:47 大串 博 衆議院議員（立憲） 11:20 吉良 よし子 参議院議員（共産） 12:24 山花 郁夫 衆議院議員（立憲） 13:02 櫛渕 万里 衆議院議員（れいわ） 13:57 奥田 ふみよ 参議院議員（れいわ） 15:07 結婚の自由をすべての人に訴訟 訴訟の状況報告（東京2次訴訟高裁判決を中心に） 15:26 東京弁護団 沢崎敦一 24:18 東京2次訴訟原告 鳩貝啓美 25:53 東京2次訴訟原告 一橋穂 28:45 谷合 正明 参議院議員（公明） 29:34 ラサール石井 参議院議員（社民） 30:38 波多野 翼 衆議院議員（立憲） 31:15 超党派LGBT議連「同性婚ワーキングチーム」立ち上げの報告 32:03 牧島 かれん 衆議院議員（自民） 34:25 本村 伸子 衆議院議員（共産） 35:15 横山 信一 参議院議員（公明） 35:59 福島 みずほ 参議院議員（社民） 37:10 岡田 悟 衆議院議員（立憲） 37:54 田村 智子 衆議院議員（共産） 38:53 尾辻 かな子 衆議院議員（立憲） 39:43 山添 拓 参議院議員（共産） 40:41 東京2次訴訟原告 ケイ 42:28 東京2次訴訟原告 福田理恵・藤井美由紀 45:04 東京2次訴訟原告 山縣真矢 47:57 串田 誠一 参議院議員（維新） 48:38 泉 健太 衆議院議員（立憲） 49:27 鳩山 紀一郎 衆議院議員（国民） 50:19 仁比 聡平 参議院議員（共産） 51:18 篠田 奈保子 衆議院議員（立憲） 51:45 どうなる同性婚？来るべき最高裁判決と求められる立法措置に向けて 52:08 慶應義塾大学法学部教授 駒村圭吾 1:05:57 関西訴訟原告 田中昭全・川田有希
Family members, too, made their frustrations known. The 83-year-old mother of Kōzō, plaintiff in the Fukuoka case, speaks:
“The world continues to change rapidly, and yet, this issue has been left unresolved. Society is filled with people who provide their support and understanding, but feelings alone cannot change this situation. Dear politicians, please think about it in earnest. My son and [his partner] Yuta are living together, reasonably happily. But without the legalization of marriage equality, they cannot achieve a stable, grounded life. Please legalize it, and make it possible for them to live the same way as everyone else in Japan. Please bring happiness to those who wish for marriage equality.”
Ono Haru, plaintiff of the first case in Tokyo, and her partner Nishikawa Asami, have three children together. Their second son is at the event too, and appealed to the politicians: “If my mother were to collapse and die, our family relationship would be considered nonexistent. The past 20 years would be erased completely. This isn’t just about me. It is a problem that many children face.”
The 91-year-old parents of Suda Kikumi, a staff member at Marriage For All Japan, couldn’t attend the event in person and instead appeared via a video message. Her father speaks: “We are getting old. My wife already has symptoms of dementia. We would like to see the day that our eldest daughter and [her partner] Yoko can be recognized as a married couple, just like the other children, within the life we still have left. Please realize marriage equality as soon as possible.”
54 lawmakers attend
Picture: siro46 / PIXTA(ピクスタ)
In total, 54 different lawmakers from across the political spectrum participated in the event, while an additional 41 sent in messages without physically attending. Although Takaichi Sanae, the current Prime Minister and the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), has explicitly stated that she opposes same-sex marriage, even her party was among those represented at the event.
Acknowledging the lack of action within her party, LDP lawmaker Makishima Karen spoke as follows: “whenever I am asked at this Marriage For All Japan Diet Caucus about the LDP’s stance, I say that I personally walk alongside all of you, but for the second year in a row, I find myself having to apologize for the fact that there is no deliberative organ within the LDP to consider this topic.”
Statements sent in by the lawmakers before the event, including ones by lawmakers who were unable to attend, have been added to Marriage For All Japan’s website.
AloJapan.com