This week in Japan

The Governor of Ibaraki Prefecture announced that as of July first the prefecture will start issuing "partnership declaration certificates" for sexual minority citizens. In order for the certificate to be issued the sexual minority couple must submit a written oath to the prefectural government and in response the government will issue a "certificate of receipt" which acknowledges the couple as equal to family members. 22 municipalities across Japan have launched system to recognise same sex couples Ibaraki Prefecture is the first to official implement the system and issue official documentation recognising same sex couples as equivalent to family members. 

To read more here are some useful links: 

Asahi Shinbun    The Japan Times

With the growing number for foreign residents in Japan, schools and day care facilities are for the first time dealing with dietary restrictions due to religion. As Japan does not have a strictly religious society, adapting to religious requirements has been a challenge due to lack of understanding and rules for dietary restrictions for religious reasons. While allergies are carefully monitored for children, there have been several incidents around the country where the families religious background was not taken into consideration when preparing food for the children. Officials in the Chuubu region, that has a large muslim population due to the large number of Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Turkish residents are discussion new measures to accommodate the dietary restrictions of these residents. 

To read more here is a useful link:

The Japan Times

Japan voted to ratify its first international convention on harassment and violence in the workplace. The International Labor Organisation defines workplace harassment as: "a range of unacceptable behaviours and practices that result in, or are likely to result in physical, psychological, sexual or economic harm." At the convention 3 representatives from Japan were present, 2 government officials and one representative from the business sector. While the two government labour representatives voted in favour of the new convention at the ILO annual meeting, while the representative from the business sector abstained. The business sector is fearful of crackdowns from the government that will lead to endless lawsuits. While Japan has shown its commitment to lessening harassment in the workplace on a the international stage, they still have to pass legislation with comprehensive penalties locally. 

To read more, here are some useful links:

The Asahi Shimbun    The Japan Times

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