A Taiwanese man who has lived in Japan with his male Japanese partner for nearly a quarter century is now on the brink of separation not because he has fallen out of love but because he faces deportation for overstaying his visa.
Hoping to continue living with his partner, he has filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court to nullify the deportation order.
His lawyers argue he should be granted special permission to stay in Japan in the same way foreign partners in heterosexual couples are sometimes allowed to remain on the grounds they have led stable lives with their Japanese partners.