TOKYO — Ikuo Sato stood in front of a Tokyo court In April and told the world he was gay. To a packed room, he described the anxiety he had felt as a young man, struggling to express his sexuality in Japan’s restrictive society. Lawsuits filed this year by Mr. Sato, his partner and five other couples seeking recognition of same-sex marriage are the first of their kind in Japan. Public support for same-sex marriage has surged in the last few years, making it seem suddenly within reach. Local governments are increasingly recognizing same-sex partnerships, and even Japan’s famously rigid companies have begun coming out in favor of them.

Source: New York Times November 27, 2019 09:56 UTC