Tag Archives: Tokyo

Tokyo To Begin Recognizing Same-Sex Partnerships

The Associated Press reports: Japan’s capital has announced it will start recognizing same-sex partnerships to ease the burdens faced by residents in their daily lives, but the unions will not be considered legal marriages. Support for sexual diversity has grown slowly in Japan, but legal protections are still lacking. The Tokyo metropolitan government unveiled a draft plan on Tuesday to …

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IOC Officials: Tokyo Olympics Still On For Now [VIDEO]

Time Magazine reports: A spokesman for the Japanese government on Wednesday said the International Olympic Committee and local organizers are going ahead as planned with the Tokyo Olympics despite the threat of the spreading coronavirus. The comments from spokesman Yoshihide Suga follow the assertion by former IOC vice-president Dick Pound that organizers face a three-month window to decide the fate …

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JAPAN: Tokyo Considers Nation’s First Law To Prohibit Anti-LGBT Discrimination, Bill Copies Olympic Charter

The Japan Mainichi reports: The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is set to propose the first ordinance bill including a stipulation to prohibit discrimination against LGBT and other sexual minorities to the metropolitan assembly on Sept. 19. The bill is prospectively named “the ordinance aiming to realize the idea of respect for human rights in the Olympic Charter.” The Olympic Charter, established …

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JAPAN: Thousands March In Tokyo Pride Parade With Support From Politicians And 200 Companies [VIDEO]

The Japan Times reports: Thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people paraded through Tokyo’s Shibuya district on Sunday to express hope that Japan will further embrace gender equality and diversity. The LGBT parade was the finale to the annual Tokyo Rainbow Pride festival, and this year’s theme was “Change.” “I believed that nothing would change. But, little by little, …

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JAPAN: US Embassy Tweets Marriage Equality Message From Evan Wolfson To Promote Rainbow Week [VIDEO]

Less than a month after last year’s landmark ruling from the Supreme Court, Freedom To Marry held its “going out of business” gala and has since closed its offices. But founder Evan Wolfson is far from retired from fighting for LGBT equality. From the US Embassy in Tokyo: “To mark the beginning of Tokyo Rainbow Week starting tomorrow, here’s a …

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Japan’s First Lady Rides In Pride Parade

Japan’s First Lady rode on a float during Tokyo’s gay pride parade yesterday. The 51-year-old wife of conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe donned a white suit to stand on a float with a drag queen, as some 3,000 participants marched through the trendy Shibuya business and shopping district. Mrs Akie Abe, known for her liberal inclinations, wrote on her Facebook …

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World Order – Welcome To Toyko

I first posted about World Order, a band headed by a retired martial arts champion, a couple of years ago.  This is their “welcome” to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.  Nice track, cool dancing, lyrics in Japanese. (Tipped by JMG reader Greg)

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Tokyo To Host 2020 Olympics

Beating out fellow finalists Madrid and Istanbul, the IOC today announced that Tokyo will host the 2020 Summer Olympics. Tokyo’s bid came in at $5 billion to $6 billion, compared to $19 billion pledged by Istanbul, said Ed Hula, editor and founder of aroundtherings.com, which covers the business and politics of the Olympic movement. But Tokyo’s government has already amassed …

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Lesbians Wed At Tokyo Disney

Flanked by Mickey and Minnie, a lesbian couple was (not legally) married on Friday at Tokyo’s Disney Resort. The event on Friday was the first homosexual wedding in the popular amusement park even though gay marriage has no legal standing in Japan.The couple first hit the headlines after the theme park initially told them there would be no problem with …

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Tokyo Pride 2012

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Tweet Of The Day

Oh, this will totally dampen the hysteria. Story here.

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Capsule Life

As Japan’s economy tanks with the rest of the world, Tokyo’s famed “capsule hotels,” originally created for businessmen who’d missed their evening train, have turned into extended-stay apartments for the unemployed. Makes you reconsider NYC’s 55 square feet apartment, doesn’t it?

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