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Japan on Friday passed a much-contested bill to promote understanding of the LGBT community amid criticism that the legislation provides no human rights guarantees and may tacitly encourage some forms of discrimination.
Japan, the only Group of Seven (G7) nation with no legal protection for same-sex unions, had originally pledged to pass the law before hosting the G7 leaders’ summit from May 19 to 21.
However, wrangling over the bill and its wording meant it was only submitted to parliament for consideration the day before the summit began.
It passed the more powerful lower house on Tuesday even after some lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party broke rank with party directives and either were absent altogether or left while the voting took place.
