Kumiko Nagamine and Naomi Mieno live together, run a cafe to support their five children and are actively working to win state recognition for the rights of homosexuals.
Nagamine, 36, and Mieno, 38, run Peanut Hearts, a civic organization working to expand the rights of gay men and lesbians and put an end to discrimination. They accept telephone consultations, issue a publication and hold monthly study sessions at their cafe, Daima, which means "forever" in Swahili.
The couple have set their sights on realizing a Japan that gives homosexual couples the same rights as heterosexual couples on matters such as inheritance. They also want Japan to follow the Netherlands and Germany, where gay marriages are recognized by the state.