Thousands march Tokyo streets in biggest gay parade to date

Thousands of LGBT supporters participated in the Tokyo Rainbow Pride (TRP) parade and fair on Sunday (May 8).

The annual event is attracting more and more attention after the passage of same-sex partnerships in several city wards.

Participants who marched waved rainbow-colored banners and balloons, and were led by trucks with specific themes like HIV awareness.

Yuki Terasawa participated in the march and said he wished his workplace would become less conservative and more accepting of the sexual minority.

“It would be nice if the LGBT community could be out wherever we go in the future,” he said.

In 2015, Tokyo’s Shibuya ward assembly recognized same-sex partnerships for the first time in Japan, a major step forward for same-sex couples in a country where being openly gay remains a taboo.

Japanese corporate companies have begun to jump on the bandwagon by providing services that accommodate the LGBT minority, such as insurance for same-sex couples.

Many Japanese and Japan-based foreign companies set up booths at the fair, which began on Saturday (May 7) in order to raise awareness and publicise their support for the LGBT movement.

According to organizers, the number of participants from this weekend’s fair and parade totaled about 70,000 — the biggest turnout in the event’s history.

The Tokyo Rainbow Pride parade is an annual event held in May on the last Sunday of the Japanese Golden Week holiday.