For the first time ever, two British Embassy employees got married in a same-sex wedding at the embassy in Tokyo Friday in the hopes of helping Japan learn of U.K.-style "diversity and inclusion" as it searches for ways to better accommodate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents.
Diplomat Tim Johnson, 51, and staffer Ryan Parkins, 40, became the fifth same-sex union to be registered at the embassy since June 2014, when legislation took force allowing British same-sex couples to register their marriages at U.K. diplomatic posts in 24 countries, including Japan, as per British law.
It was, however, the first time the embassy had hosted a wedding ceremony for its own staff and invited the media to attend.