Sapporo, Osaka make LGBT couples eligible to receive support money

Sapporo and Osaka have made lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples in officially recognized partnerships eligible to receive support money if they are victims of crime, marking a rare move among municipalities in Japan, officials of the two cities said recently.A support system for crime victims and their families was introduced in Osaka in April and in Sapporo this month. As same-sex marriage is not recognized in Japan, most people in LGBT partnerships find themselves ineligible to receive social security benefits.The system pays surviving family members 300,000 yen ($2,800) in the…READ FULL ARTICLE