Yesterday, on May 28th, 38-year-old Keita Matsuura and 39-year-old Yutaro Fujiyama held a press conference upon receiving the residential certificate indicating their relationship as common-law spouses issued by Omura city in Nagasaki prefecture.
The couple expressed their joy, saying: “It’s as if this is a dream! We are extremely happy. It was the right decision to move to Omura city!” The two recently moved from Amagasaki city, Hyogo prefecture to Nagasaki prefecture - Fujiyama’s hometown.
At first, the couple was registered as separate households living at the same address. Then, they applied to merge into one household, which the city originally offered to register their relationships as “relatives.” In the end, after discussions, the city agreed to register Matsuura as the head of the family and Fujiyama as the unregistered husband.
Matsuura commented: “The recognition of our common-law relationship in official documents is a breakthrough that can help bring more practical benefits and recognize the rights of same-sex couples.”
Fujiyama added: “Omura city made an unprecedented decision and supported us. It would be wonderful if other localities could follow suit.”
Source: Asahi Shimbun
