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websitelink2023 Japan same-sek couples recognised in two Tokyo districts

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+They are designed to encourage landlords and hospitals to treat gay couples the same way as married ones.
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+However, the documents do not provide the same legal status as marriage.
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+BBC Tokyo correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes says campaigners are welcoming "a small step forward in a deeply conservative country".
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+Younger people in Japan generally support gay rights but the prime minister has previously urged caution over changing the law.
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+Hiroko Masuhara, 37, and Koyuki Higashi, 30, were the first to register their partnership in Shibuya district.
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+Ms Higashi, an actress, told reporters she hoped the measure would spread across Japan and eventually lead to same-sex marriage being legalised.
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+Japan does not have any national legislation specifically banning discrimination against gay people. Couples complain of being blocked from tenancies and prevented from visiting loved ones in hospital.
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+"I hope the day will come soon when there will be equality in society," Ms Higashi said, according to the AFP news agency.
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+Shibuya district mayor Ken Hasebe, congratulated the couple.
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+"It took a long time to get to here," he said.
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+Another wealthy district of the capital, Setagaya, has also started to offer the certificates.
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+Setagaya's mayor Nobuto Hosaka issued five same-sex couples with the papers on Thursday afternoon, according to the Kyodo news agency.
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+Mobile phone networks NTT DoCoMo and KDDI have previously said they would offer their family discounts to same-sex couples who provide a certificate.
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