Masahiro Shibaguchi, right, and Ariel Ling-chun Liu are pictured on Aug. 16, 2023, in Taipei, where they registered their marriage. (Photo courtesy of Liu/Kyodo)
TAIPEI (Kyodo) — An openly gay assemblyman from Aichi Prefecture and his Taiwanese partner, having just registered their union in Taipei, called on Tokyo to swiftly legalize same-sex marriage to ensure equality for sexual minorities.
Takahama city assembly member Masahiro Shibaguchi, 53, of the Japanese Communist Party, and his spouse Ariel Ling-chun Liu, 38, who also lives in Japan, traveled to Taiwan to register their marriage in Taipei City’s Datong District on Aug. 11.
Japan remains the only Group of Seven nation that does not recognize same-sex marriage. A number of lawsuits have been filed in the country by same-sex couples seeking to make their relationships legal.
Liu said he does not qualify for a spouse visa in Japan and has to rely on his work visa to remain in the country, where he is a researcher and a teacher of the Chinese language, Taiwanese literature and gender studies at several universities.
“This is very unfair as heterosexual couples can get visas as long as they can get by financially, but same-sex couples cannot,” Liu told Kyodo News. He pointed out that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and some other parties have been “very unfriendly” toward homosexuals.
“Depending on how friendly the ruling party is toward homosexuals, it will have a direct impact on how people treat homosexuals, especially homosexual foreigners,” he said.
Many LDP members have opposed same-sex marriage, saying they favor respecting traditional family values.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who heads the party, remains cautious about legalizing same-sex marriage and has called for further debate, saying doing so “could extensively change society as it concerns the lives of the people.”
Some opposition parties, including the Japanese Communist Party, have jointly proposed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the past, but it was not adopted by the parliament.
The Taiwanese researcher emphasized the urgency of legalizing same-sex marriage, noting instances where couples were separated due to work-related circumstances.
In 2019, Taiwan became the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage for its citizens. Then, in January of this year, the island decided to recognize unions between its citizens and foreign partners, even if those partners come from countries where same-sex marriage is not permitted.
Previously, the island had interpreted the law as only allowing Taiwanese to marry same-sex spouses who are citizens of countries or territories where same-sex marriage is legal.
