200-page Report Submitted to Canada
"Discrimination Cannot Be Avoided in Japan," Acknowledged
The Canadian government recognized a Japanese female couple who appealed last fall that they had been discriminated against as sexual minorities in Japan as refugees.
According to the Asahi Shimbun on the 19th, the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board acknowledged the Japanese female couple Hana (in her 50s) and Eri (in her 30s) as refugees, stating that "there is sufficient basis for (them) to feel fear due to discrimination experienced in Japan."
They first met in 2014. In 2019, they traveled to Canada and even completed their marriage registration. However, upon returning to Japan, they could not have their life as a 'married couple' recognized. After revealing the truth to a coworker, they were bullied and had to quit their job, and to avoid repeating the same suffering, they had to hide their relationship by telling those around them they were 'mother and daughter.'
Because they faced discriminatory views from their workplace and even family due to being sexual minorities, they went to Canada in 2021 on student visas and learned that the Canadian government accepts sexual minorities as refugees. Eventually, they began the application process in November 2022 and were recognized as refugees last September. Once recognized as refugees, they are granted permanent resident status in Canada, and if they meet the necessary requirements for five years, they can also obtain Canadian citizenship.
It is known that they submitted a report of over 200 pages to the Canadian government summarizing the discrimination they faced as a same-sex couple in Japan and the shortcomings of the Japanese legal system.
The Canadian government acknowledged that "(in Japan) they are not legally recognized as family and cannot receive the same benefits as heterosexual couples," and that "discrimination exists throughout Japan, so even moving to another region does not allow them to escape (discrimination)."
Furthermore, based on the views of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women regarding Japan, it pointed out that "patriarchal ideas remain deeply rooted and there are complex forms of discrimination against women in the workplace," indicating that the human rights of female sexual minorities are not sufficiently protected in Japan.
The female couple told Asahi, "There are many sexual minorities and women living with the same suffering as us," and "We wanted to cause a ripple effect among the Japanese government and Japanese people."
Meanwhile, currently in Japan, same-sex couples cannot receive deductions for partners or become insured persons under the national pension system. Even if they raise children together, neither can be a legal guardian, and in the event of a spouse’s death, they have no rights to statutory inheritance or survivor’s pension benefits.
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