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00:00THAT IS A MAJOR SYMBOLIC VICTORY FOR THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY. WE ARE JOINED BY THE HEAD OF PRIME SERVICES AT GOLDMAN SACHS IN JAPAN. GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH US. THE RULING IS GREAT. THE QUESTION IS HOW DO YOU TAKE IT FORWARD? > > ABSOLUTELY. THAT IS THE QUESTION. THEY WON THE FIGHT IN THE FIVE DISTRICTS. WE EXPECT A DECISION FROM THE FOUR DISTRICTS' COURT AS WELL. IT IS STILL A LONG WAY TO GO BUT A VERY BUIG STEP. > > IT IS A BIG STEP, ALONG WAY TO GO. YOU CAME OUT NINE YEARS AGO. GIVE US SOME PERSPECTIVE, HOW MUCH PROGRESS HAVE YOU SEEN? HOW MUCH CHANGE? > > THERE WAS NOBODY ON THE TRADING FLOOR THAT CAME OUT AS A GAY PERSON. WHEN I SPOKE ABOUT MY ORIENTATION, PEOPLE WERE SHOCKED AND DISGUSTED. JAPAN HAS CHANGED OVER THE LAST NINE YEARS. THE TOWNS AND THE CITIES ARE ALLOWING PEOPLE TO HAVE SAME-SEX PARTNERSHIPS AT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL. THAT IS GRADUALLY PUSHING THE AGENDA IN THE NATIONAL LEVEL. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A BIG PUSH FOR THEM TO MOVE TO THE NEXT STAGE. RISHAAD: HOLD THAT THOUGHT FOR A SECOND. THE HANG SENG INDEX IS FALLING 10% FROM THE PEAK IN FEBRUARY. IT IS NEARING CORRECTION TERRITORY. THAT IS CURRENTLY THE POSITION FOR THE INDEX IN HONG KONG. CHINA SHARES ARE UP YEAR TO DATE. MASA, JUST GETTING BACK TOT HE I -- TO THE ISSUES YOU FACE IN JAPAN. MARRIAGE EQUALITY. IT IS A ONE STEP CLOSER. WHEN WILL IT GET ONTO THE STATUTE? IT IS ANOTHER MATTER ALTOGETHER TO GET THERE? MASA: YES, WE EXPECT TO APPEAL TO THE HIGH COURT. IT IS GOING TO BE 2023 WHEN WE EXPECT THE FINAL DECISION FROM THE SUPREME COURT. BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT DECISION, THEY CAN ACTUALLY AMEND THE FIGURE. GIVEN WHAT IS HAPPENING IN JAPAN AND THE SUPPORT FOR THIS PATICULAR AGENDA, IT IS VERY LIKELY. I AM HOPEFUL FOR THAT. RISHAAD: GETTING BACK TO YOUR EXPERIENCES IN THE FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY IN JAPAN, NO GAY MAN OR GAY WOMAN ON THE TRADING FLOOR, HOW IS THE JAPANESE FINANCIAL WORLD -- HOW HAS IT CHANGED, HERE? RISHAAD: I U -- MASA: I USED TO WORK THERE AS WELL. BACK IN 2002 OR 2006. EVEN AT THE TIME, IN THE U.K., THERE WAS NO OPENLY GAY PERSON BUT SOCIETY CHANGED IN ABOUT THOSE FIVE YEARS. THAT IS WHAT IS HAPPENING IN JAPAN. OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, THE MORE AND MORE COMPANIES WILL SEE THE BENEFIT LIKELY HOUSING AND FINANCES. THIS IS PUSHING SOCIETY TO UNDERSTAND THIS AGENDA MORE. IT IS GREAT THAT IT IS SHOWING THE EQUALITY . > > WE KNOW THAT JAPAN IS THE ONLY G7 NATION THAT DOES NOT RECOGNIZE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. CAN OTHER G7 MEMBERS PUT PRESSURE ON JAPAN TO ADOPT IT? WHAT CAN THEY DO? MASA: REALLY GOOD QUESTION AND GOOD POINT. THAT IS HAPPENING NOW. MORE AND MORE INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES HAVE BEEN BRINGING THE IR EX-PATS INTO JAPAN. THEIR LGBTQ EMPLOYEES ARE DEMANDING IT WILL WRITE. -- EQUAL RIGHTS. THEY ARE ACTUALLY PUSHING THIS AGENDA. THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF CONGRESS PUT ACCOMMODATION INTO THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE EQUALITY FOR LB -- LGBTQ PEOPLE. THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MOVEMENT HAS BEEN JOINED BY THE JAPANESE CORPORATE. TRADITIONAL CONSERVATIVE BIG COMPANIES LIKE PANASONIC. > > TALKING ABOUT PUSHING THE AGENDA, THE GROWING CALLS FOR JAPAN TO ADOPT THE EQUALITY ACT AHEAD OF HOSTING THE OLYMPICS, THAT IS IN LINE WITH THE ELLIPTIC CHARTER. DO YOU SEE THAT O -- OLYMPIC CHARTER? DO YOU SEE THAT HAPPENING? MASA: THAT IS ANOTHER GOOD POINT. THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACTUALLY PUSH THIS AGENDA AHEAD. OBVIOUSLY, THE PEOPLE ARE QUESTIONING THAT. WHAT THE TOKYO GOVERNMENT COULD DO. AHEAD OF THE OLYMPICS, THE NEW MCGLYNN PARTY POLITICIAN HAS BEEN PROMISING TO MOVE THE AGENDA. HOPEFULLY THAT WILL HAPPEN BEFORE THE SUMMER AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HAS BEEN WATCHING THE MOVE. RISHAAD: HOW MUCH DISCRIMINATION DO YOU FEEL AS A PERSON IN JAPAN WHEN YOU WALK AROUND TOKYO OR OSAKA OR IN THE RURAL COUNTRYSIDE? IT CAN BE THE HEART OF THE COUNTRY. THAT IS PERHAPS WHERE THE MOVEMENT HAS TO GO TO IN A WAY? MASA: THAT IS RIGHT. WE ARE HAVING THE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE PARTNERSHIP CERTIFICATE IN THE MAJOR CITIES NOW. THE INTERESTING THING NOW, LOCAL POLITICIANS HAVE RECOGNIZED THAT. THE SMALLER CITIES ARE GRADUALLY ADOPTING THIS CERTIFICATE. HOPEFULLY THAT WILL CHANGE THE CULTURE OF THE MUNICIPALITIES. CORPORATE CAN ALSO PUSH THIS AGENDA AS WELL. THE MORE CORPORATE IT IS, THE MORE SAME SEX EQUAL RIGHTS. HOPEFULLY THAT WILL BE EFFECTIVE. RISHAAD: FINAL QUESTION, ARE YOU HOPEFUL? MASA: I AM VERY HOPEFUL. NOT ONLY FOR THE LGBT PEOPLE BUT THE ALLIES. I AM SURE THIS WILL CHANGE. RISHAAD:

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Yanagisawa on Marriage Equality

Masa Yanagisawa, head of prime services at Goldman Sachs in Japan and co-chief of staff for the company's Asia Pacific LGBTQ+ Council, discusses the importance of marriage equality in Japan. The country's court found same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional on March 17, 2021. The ruling sets a new precedent in the only G-7 nation not to fully recognize same-sex partnerships and its a major symbolic victory for the LGBTQ community. He speaks with Haslinda Amin and Rishaad Salamat on "Bloomberg Markets: Asia." March 24, 2021 (Source: Bloomberg)

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