Another win for love: the city of Osaka has announced that it will be legally recognising same-sex couples as of July 9, 2018. With that, they're following in the footsteps of eight cities and wards across the country, including Tokyo's very own Nakano (from August 2018), Shibuya and Setagaya wards, plus cities such as Sapporo and Fukuoka.
How? By giving out a special card that states so. Same-sex couples who reside in the city, or planning to move to Osaka in the near future, will be able to register at their local office. All you need for the application is a copy of your residence certificate (or documents which prove that you're moving to Osaka), proof of current marital status (which states that you're single), and an official form of ID.
Osaka even has its very own LGBT mascot: Nikkori-na
Although legally not exactly the same as a conventional marriage, in practice, the documents should in principle allow for similar treatment and benefits as heterosexual couples when it comes to housing and work. It's a definite step for Osaka's LGBT community, which we're sure will be celebrating this milestone event during the annual Kansai Rainbow Festa, aka Kansai Rainbow Pride, in October.