The LGBT community and their supporters hope the upcoming Upper House election will help advance the national discussion on LGBT rights in Japan and lead to legal recognition.
Some headway has been made at the local level, with a few municipalities, starting with two wards in Tokyo in 2015, issuing "partnership certificates" to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples.
But such moves have yet to translate into national legislation and marriage equality remains unrecognized by the government. The situation prompted 13 same-sex couples to sue the government in February alleging unconstitutional treatment.