Thousands march to support LGBTQ visibility in Japan
A colourful procession of rainbow flag-waving supporters marched in downtown Tokyo on Sunday during one of its annual LGBTQ pride parades.
According to local reports, about 5000 people marched the 3km parade route for Tokyo Rainbow Pride, which took them through through the iconic Shibuya Station crossing intersection.
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Tokyo Rainbow Pride, held in support of LGBTQ visibility, saw a similar number of participants during its inaugural 2012 parade.
Despite small steps inching toward more equal treatment, LGBTQ issues remain largely underground in Japan's conservative community.
In November last year, two women made history by obtaining a government certificate officially recognising their union.
But Hiroko Masuhara and Koyuki Higashi's certificate isn't legally binding, so spousal rights such as hospital visitations are regarded more as suggestions rather than enforceable by law.
In a poll conducted across 70,000 people in Japan last year, about 7.6% identified themselves as part of the LGBTQ community. According to Kyodo, the results surprised people, who expected the number to be lower.
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Topics LGBTQ
Victoria Ho is Mashable's Asia Editor, based in Singapore. She previously reported on news and tech at The Business Times, TechCrunch and ZDNet. When she isn't writing, she's making music with her band
