“At Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japan), we want to create a work environment that supports and empowers each and every one of our unique employees,” Nintendo Japan said in their update. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Nintendo said it is providing the same benefits to employees in same-sex partnerships that opposite-sex couples receive.
The update to Nintendo Japan’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) guidelines came despite gay marriage being outlawed in Japan.
“At Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japan), we want to create a work environment that supports and empowers each and every one of our unique employees,” Nintendo Japan said in their update.
The gaming giant said the same-sex partnerships policy was introduced in March 2021, but the company now publicly acknowledges the change.
“We introduced the Partnership System in March 2021 as one initiative based on this philosophy,” Nintendo’s CSR site states.
“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.”
Last month, a district court in Osaka upheld the ban on same-sex marriage in Japan, ruling that the ban is not unconstitutional.
Japan is currently the only member of the G7 countries that does not legally recognise same-sex marriages.
Nintendo said they also revised their internal harassment regulations “to clearly prohibit discriminatory comments based on sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as disclosing someone’s privately held sexual orientation against their will”.
The company also said that a message from president Shuntaro Furukawa was sent to employees about gender diversity to raise awareness of the issue.
In the message, he called for “a renewed understanding that even speech and actions, which are not intended to harm, can cause significant emotional pain, asking for understanding and support to create an environment in which everyone can work comfortably”.
