A Japanese family court has allowed a man living with a same-sex partner to adopt the same family name as his partner, judging that the two are in a relationship similar to marriage, the man said Thursday.
The man in his 30s, who wished to be referred to by the pseudonym Akikazu Takami, said he was happy that the Nagoya Family Court in its March 14 ruling had dealt with the issue "sincerely."
Takami's lawyer said such a decision accepting a surname change for a same-sex couple on the basis that they are judged to be in a marriage-like relationship is "rare."
"The decision is expected to broaden options (for same-sex couples) at a time same-sex marriages are not currently recognized" in Japan, the lawyer said.
In Japan, same-sex marriages or civil unions are not legally recognized. The country's Civil Code, meanwhile, requires a married couple to share a surname.
In its decision, the court's Presiding Judge Yukio Suzuki said the couple, who are raising a foster child, "are supporting each other and maintaining stable lives centered on childrearing. Their lives are practically the same as those in heterosexual marriages," according to the lawyer.
Noting that some foreign countries recognize same-sex marriage and that there is growing awareness about same-sex couples in Japan, the judge said, "It is socially acceptable to provide the same level of legal protection as heterosexual couples to a certain degree, to the extent that the current law permits."
Takami, who filed for a surname change with the court in November last year, lives in Aichi Prefecture in central Japan with another man in his 30s who asked to be referred to by the pseudonym Toshimasa Ono, according to the lawyer.
Takami is the foster parent on official documents, while he has not disclosed his sexual orientation to people around him, the lawyer said.
In court proceedings, Takami said he was afraid he would be forced to explain his relationship with his partner during times of emergency, such as if he needed to visit his child at a hospital.
Ono and Takami are also the plaintiffs in a separate lawsuit filed at the Nagoya District Court, where they are arguing that the lack of legal recognition of same-sex marriage is against the Constitution and demanding state compensation due to action not being taken to have it acknowledged.
While the district court ruled in May last year that not recognizing same-sex marriages is unconstitutional, it rejected their demand for compensation. The couple has since appealed the ruling.
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