Tokyo's Setagaya Ward, which promotes understanding of sexual minorities, has decided to make same-sex partners eligible for compensation for bereaved families who die while engaging in activities such as closing floodgates during a disaster. The ward says that it is a fairly rare initiative even in the whole country.
If an ordinary person dies while engaging in flood control such as closing floodgates or piling sandbags during a disaster such as heavy rain, compensation is paid to the bereaved family based on the national system, but same-sex partners are not eligible.
Setagaya Ward, which is promoting understanding of sexual minorities by establishing a "partnership system" that recognizes same-sex couples as having a relationship equivalent to marriage ahead of other countries in Japan, has decided to independently apply compensation to partners who live together and share a living from July 7.
Depending on the income of the deceased, 1.890 million yen to 1420.<> million yen will be paid according to the current system, and the ward says that it is a rather rare initiative nationwide.
Setagaya Ward started a similar initiative last fiscal year for disaster condolence money paid to the bereaved families of disaster victims, and Mayor Nobuhito Hosaka said, "The number of people involved may not be large, but it is only allowed to married people, and we would like to respond sequentially to those that feel that the system is wrong."