Panasonic : In a rare move, Japan's Panasonic gives corporate blessing to same-sex marriages
February 18, 2016 at 06:10 am EST
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TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's electronics maker Panasonic Corp said on Thursday it plans to change its company rules to recognise same-sex marriages, joining a growing trend towards acceptance in a country where being openly gay largely remains taboo.
Panasonic said it is reviewing changes to its code of conduct that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. It is a rare move for a major Japanese corporate, and puts the company at the forefront of change.
Panasonic is considering a range of benefits for same-sex couples including wedding leave, although the details have not yet been decided, the spokeswoman said. The changes, if implemented, are set to come into effect in April, she said.
The review was prompted by re quests from its employees, global trends, and its status as a sponsor of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she added.
Panasonic's move comes as Japan slowly widens recognition of same-sex partnerships. Iga in Mie prefecture, a city 500 km southwest of Tokyo, became on Tuesday Japan's third municipal government to recognise same-sex partnerships, according to local media.
Shibuya and Setagaya, considered the wealthiest of Tokyo's 23 wards, began issuing certificates to same-sex couples last November, a decision hailed as a major step forward for Japan's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
While the certificates do not provide any legal recognition of same-sex unions, they allow couples to rent an apartment, visit each other in hospital and gain a variety of other benefits as a couple.
Panasonic Holdings Corporation (formerly Panasonic Corporation) specializes in manufacturing and marketing of consumer electronic equipments. Net sales (including intragroup) break down by family of products as follows:
- domestic equipments, appliances and audiovisual equipment (42.5%): lighting devices, photovoltaic devices, wiring devices, health and care devices, furnishing materials, air conditioning and ventilation equipments, air purifiers, refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, dryers, vacuum cleaners, irons, microwaves, fans, cooking appliances, dishwashers, TVs, digital cameras, audio and video equipment, fixed telephones, showcases, etc.;
- electronic and electromechanical components (13.2%): relays, switches, power supply systems, industrial motors and sensors, capacitors, coils, resistors, materials for electronic circuits, semiconductors, LCD panels, etc.;
- automotive multimedia equipment and electronic accessories (12.4%);
- avionics, industrial automation, communication and entertainment systems (10.8%): in-flight entertainment and communication systems, electronic component assembly machines, welding equipment, projectors, professional audio-visual systems, computers, tablets, mobile communication systems and equipment, etc.;
- energy storage systems (8.9%): cylindrical lithium-ion batteries, dry batteries, primary/secondary lithium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, lithium-ion batteries, energy storage modules and systems;
- other (12.2%).
Net sales break down geographically as follows: Japan (43.2%), China (13.4%), Asia (14.7%), Americas (18.7%) and Europe (10%).