<div>They are designed to encourage landlords and hospitals to treat gay couples the same way as married ones.</div><div><br /></div><div>However, the documents do not provide the same legal status as marriage.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VyhUNTaClF2-CRTmdOZ8U6df1gVPzn9sns6czst8xCZrk9hHtb8-aTQ7TszhTJlgrzHF3PhRYzRWrZvd3i6J3dhlSCYtxSSLDpNOYLMiP0sgaxFbJ1lt6aLMQNkv7focNN3UH5h_-TcEOH7nFXb2sZGGoYDj1TKKltpVgAfg4uAw0xJRKHRpISjIGFB_/s468/94f9152b8ef23bfa3ef0f9bddc84b87b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VyhUNTaClF2-CRTmdOZ8U6df1gVPzn9sns6czst8xCZrk9hHtb8-aTQ7TszhTJlgrzHF3PhRYzRWrZvd3i6J3dhlSCYtxSSLDpNOYLMiP0sgaxFbJ1lt6aLMQNkv7focNN3UH5h_-TcEOH7nFXb2sZGGoYDj1TKKltpVgAfg4uAw0xJRKHRpISjIGFB_/s320/94f9152b8ef23bfa3ef0f9bddc84b87b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>BBC Tokyo correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes says campaigners are welcoming "a small step forward in a deeply conservative country".</div><div><br /></div><div>Younger people in Japan generally support gay rights but the prime minister has previously urged caution over changing the law.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hiroko Masuhara, 37, and Koyuki Higashi, 30, were the first to register their partnership in Shibuya district.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ms Higashi, an actress, told reporters she hoped the measure would spread across Japan and eventually lead to same-sex marriage being legalised.</div><div><br /></div><div>Japan does not have any national legislation specifically banning discrimination against gay people. Couples complain of being blocked from tenancies and prevented from visiting loved ones in hospital.</div><div><br /></div><div>"I hope the day will come soon when there will be equality in society," Ms Higashi said, according to the AFP news agency.</div><div><br /></div><div>Shibuya district mayor Ken Hasebe, congratulated the couple.</div><div><br /></div><div>"It took a long time to get to here," he said.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another wealthy district of the capital, Setagaya, has also started to offer the certificates.</div><div><br /></div><div>Setagaya's mayor Nobuto Hosaka issued five same-sex couples with the papers on Thursday afternoon, according to the Kyodo news agency.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mobile phone networks NTT DoCoMo and KDDI have previously said they would offer their family discounts to same-sex couples who provide a certificate.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
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