Nintendo Japan Recognises Same-Sex Marriage - Even If Japan Doesn't
While Japan won't recognise same-sex marriage in its own country, Nintendo Japan has stood behind the LGBTQ+ community.
13th Jul 2022 11:06
Nintendo
Nintendo Japan Recognises Same-Sex Marriage - Even If Japan Doesn't
While Japan won't recognise same-sex marriage in its own country, Nintendo Japan has stood behind the LGBTQ+ community.
13th Jul 2022 11:06
Nintendo
Mario is putting on a pair of rainbow-coloured overalls and Link is playing "It's Raining Men" on the ocarina, as Nintendo Japan stands behind same-sex marriage - even if its own country doesn't. Off the back of China trying to ban "gay love" in games, Japan is in a state of flux right now.
The gaming community is often called to task for being "woke" on LGBTQ+ conversations, and you only have to look at the drama surrounding The Last of Us Part II to see things are moving slowly. Still, Pride month was largely celebrated across the board, while staff at EA even threatened a walkout due to the publisher's flimsy stance on the issues.
What Is Nintendo Japan's Stance On Same-Sex Marriage?
Nintendo Japan has issued an update on its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and confirmed its stance on same-sex marriages. As noticed by Go Nintendo, an updated section called Introduction of a Partnership System confirms that since March 2021, the gaming giant has included a policy where "same-sex partners" will be given the "same benefits as employees in an opposite-sex marriage."
The statement continues: "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 2021, Nintendo's annual report included a two-page spread about diversity and planned inclusion initiatives for workers based in Japan, America, and Germany.
Last month, Japan's Osaka District Court upheld a ban on same-sex marriage and ruled that under its own constitution, marriage does not encompass same-sex marriages. Elsewhere, Japanese law decrees that transgender citizens will be surgically sterilised if they want to have their gender legally recognised. Japan is the only member of the G7 that doesn't recognise same-sex marriages, but according to Nintendo, it will "not discriminate based on...gender identity."
Nintendo Embraces The Rainbow Of The LGBTQ+ Community
Nintendo is flying the flag in defiance of Japan's rulings. Nintendo famously has (possibly) the first ever instance of a transgender video game character when Birdo was introduced in 1988's Super Mario Bros. 2. There's also a whole spectrum of LGTBQ+ Switch games encompassing everything from Hades to Dream Daddy.
It's not without its problems though. You might remember that whole "so long gay Bowser" incident from Super Mario 64 - which was eventually removed from Super Mario 3D All-Stars. There are parallels between the family-friendly Nintendo and Disney. Unlike Nintendo, Disney has being caught in the scandal of the "Don't Say Gay" bill and seeing the likes of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Lightyear censored or banned. At least Nintendo is holding hands with the LGBTQ+ community - even if its homeland won't.
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
