Nintendo Japan announced its new policy that grants queer employees in same-sex partnerships the same benefits as their straight counterparts.
Over the last few years, Japan’s government has faced immense pressure from LGBTQ+ activists to legalise same-sex marriage. The country’s constitution currently defines marriage as “mutual consent between both sexes.” Despite this, more than 100 local authorities across Japan recognise same-sex partnerships in some capacity, such as joint names on rental contracts and hospital visitations.
Even though the Japanese government has refrained from including gay marriage in its constitution, companies like Nintendo Japan have begun to grant same-sex partnerships the same benefits as heterosexual unions.
On 12 July, the video game company announced their Partnership System via a recent update to their Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) guidelines, as reported by Go Nintendo.