Nintendo Of Japan Recognizes Gay Marriage Even Though Japan Doesn't, Leading To Much Discourse Online

July 14th, 2022 - 3:37 PM EDT by Adam Downer

14 comments | Contact Newsroom

An image of mario and luigi jumping with a tweet commenting on the topic.

Many Nintendo fans are celebrating after the corporation's Japanese branch announced measures to circumvent the country's ban on gay marriage within the company.

The company issued an update to its corporate social responsibility initiatives earlier this week, where it clarified that while Japan does not recognize gay marriage, employees in a same-sex marriage will receive the same benefits as those in a heterosexual one.


The corporate document reads, in part:

Although same-sex marriages are not currently recognized under Japanese law, this system ensures employees who are in a domestic partnership with a same-sex partner have the same benefits as employees in an opposite-sex marriage. We have also established that a common-law marriage between couples will be observed in the same way as a legal marriage.

In late June, Japan upheld its ruling that gay marriage was unconstitutional, and it seems Nintendo has elected to ignore that ruling within the confines of their company.

Given the tumultuous political climate in Japan recently, the news of Nintendo's internal refusal to recognize the country's same-sex marriage ban was celebrated and joked about online as numerous tweets, articles and other posts commented on the viral topic.



Top Comments

Blue2
Blue2

in reply to ChihuahuaExorcist

Sorry but I wholehearted disagree.
Corporate virtue signaling happens when a company say they're for something but their actions and/or policies prove otherwise.

Example: A company changes their logo for a rainbow, share some pride posts. Meanwhile, don't hire any LGBT+ people, or makes an hostile environment towards anyone who came out so the employee quits.

What Nintendo said, matches their policy and actions.
That's not virtue signaling, that's principle.

+19

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