June 29, 2018

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Nihi Sohei, at a House Judicial Affairs Committee meeting on June 28 where a Civil Code revision bill was being discussed, called into question the proposed inheritance rights which will apply only to relatives and legally-registered spouses.

The bill will create a "spouse residency right" under which the spouse of a deceased can keep living in the same residence even after the assets are divided. The bill will create another right so that relatives who contributed to taking care of an inheritee without any compensation can claim payment for the contributions they made.

Nihi asked Justice Minister Kamikawa Yoko if partners in unregistered marriages and same-sex marriages will have the new rights under the proposed revision.

Kamikawa answered, "The revision is not to exclude diverse ways of life." She, however, added, "Granting the inheritance rights to common-law spouses will possibly complicate the situation and prolong disputes over the succession of property."

Nihi stressed the importance of not stopping the trend toward building a society that values diversity, and said, "To work on building a society where de-facto married couples and same-gender married couples will not be unfairly treated after their partners' deaths is also a major task for politicians to undertake."

Past related article:
> Couple with different last names sues government for damage caused by imposition of same surname [June 19, 2018]
> 4 couples with different last names seek court recognition that same-surname rule is unconstitutional [March 15, 2018]
> 2-day event for LGBT rights in Tokyo attracts over 100k people [May 3, 7 and 9, 2017]