Attitudes in Japan towards LGBT+ individuals are shifting, the New York Times reports.
Where Japanese businesses would once have expected LGBT+ employees to remain closeted and invisible, they’re becoming more open, and even sometimes celebratory of LGBT+ identity.
Foreign companies are often perceived as more inclusive in the marketplace, and Japanese firms are shifting their cultures in order to remain competitive in the talent marketplace.
Efforts include extending family benefits to employee’s same-sex partners and allowing gay customers to list their partners as beneficiaries of life insurance plans.
Nomura, an Out Leadership member company, gives employees a cash gift of 30,000 yen, or about $270, when they get married. This benefit now extends to same-sex couples in established relationships.
A recent survey showed that the Japanese public is evenly split on gay marriage.