The partner of Koji Obama, the petitioner in the family court case, passed away last December. It is with great regret that the legal team was unable to reach a conclusion on the family court case.

The benefit of filing a family court hearing remains, and the couple will continue to await the hearing. We would appreciate your continued support for Mr. Obama.
Below is Mr. Obama's writing.

We apologize for the late notice, but the partner of one of the petitioners, Mr. Obama, passed away last December. The family court proceedings will continue as they seek to accept the marriage registration that was in place at the time of the petition. Please read the explanation from the legal team for more details.

Last March, my partner collapsed at home, was rushed to the hospital, and began hospitalization for treatment. During this process, it became difficult for him to clearly express his wishes, so I made all the decisions regarding his treatment. We also applied for nursing care certification and disability certification. Although Obama is not yet a legal family member, we have not encountered any obstacles to the process. At the reception desk, I clearly stated that we are "same-sex partners," explained that I am willing to fill out consent forms if necessary, and that we have lived together for 30 years, living like family. Sendai City implemented a partnership certification system in December of last year, so I believe the smooth process was partly due to the fact that awareness of same-sex partnerships had already spread to a certain extent.

He has been transferred to various hospitals, including acute care hospitals, hospitals for special treatment, hospitals for long-term care, and hospitals with convalescent beds, but at all of these hospitals, we as a family have been helped with explaining his condition and consulting with him about the treatment system.

I also informed my partner's siblings and other relatives about the situation and they supported me, even coming to visit me from far away.

When he passed away, the hospital contacted us smoothly, and his relatives were able to be present at his deathbed. At the funeral, Kohama acted as the chief mourner, and the event went smoothly, and we were able to complete all the necessary government procedures. Now, we are living our days quietly, reflecting on the loss of our partner, who had been our family partner for 30 years.

There are still procedures to be completed, such as inheritance, and I feel that even after my partner's death, I am still not recognized as legal family.

I believe we have been able to get this far because of a strong sense of rights that our partner is family and that we are the ones who make decisions about him. Filing for a domestic relations arbitration is a manifestation of that sense of rights, but I feel that even in real life, maintaining such a strong sense of rights can often be difficult depending on the circumstances. In our case, I feel we have been fortunate. In a situation where we are not protected by a legal framework, even a slight difference in conditions can lead to a situation where we are unable to do what we should be able to do as a family.

Even after my partner's death, our relationship as family remains unchanged. The situation of having to maintain a relationship without mutual confirmation of his wishes feels even more harsh than it was when he was alive.

We will continue to pursue domestic relations proceedings, seeking to remain a legal family that has filed a marriage registration. We hope for your continued support. Thank you in advance.

Same-sex marriage Sendai domestic relations trial case Petitioner Koji Obama

We will report on the progress so far in the case "We can't wait any longer - Sendai Domestic Relations Court ruling on same-sex marriage."

On February 14, 2024, a petition for a domestic relations arbitration was filed with the Sendai Family Court requesting acceptance of the marriage registration of Koji Obama and his male partner.

In response to this, the Family Court requested the Sendai City Taihaku Ward Mayor to submit a written opinion in accordance with the provisions of the Domestic Relations Procedure Act. The Taihaku Ward Mayor requested an extension of the deadline, which was set as June 28th, but just before the deadline he requested an extension (the defense team opposed this, but the court granted it), and submitted a written opinion on July 9th. The content of the opinion was that an intention to marry is necessary for a marriage to be established, but that this did not exist between Obama and his partner.

In order to refute this opinion, the legal team decided to seek the opinion of a researcher who believes that same-sex marriage is recognized under the current Civil Code and Family Registration Act, and held multiple meetings with Associate Professor Machado Daniel of Gakushuin University.

On the other hand, due to the nature of family court cases, no hearings are held in open court. In order to let people know about the status of the proceedings and the content of our arguments, Ms. Obama and her legal team held an event in Sendai City on October 26, 2024, titled "We want more people to know about the Sendai family court case regarding same-sex marriage!"

During 2024, the first preparatory brief on social facts was submitted on October 1st, and the second preparatory brief on constitutional theory was submitted on December 27th.

Then, in 2025, Professor Machado's opinion was completed. It is written in a persuasive style, outlining the changes in the provisions of the Civil Code from its establishment to the present, and how this has led to the situation in which same-sex marriage is recognized. The legal team submitted this opinion on March 27th, and submitted the third preparatory brief explaining its contents on April 23rd (in addition, the fourth preparatory brief explaining other high court decisions and the fifth preparatory brief supplementing social facts were also submitted).

The legal team believes that they have presented all of their arguments at this point, and has requested the family court to hold an early hearing for Mr. Obama. The reason for this request is that Mr. Obama's partner has been hospitalized due to illness, and they want to reach a decision to recognize the marriage as soon as possible.

However, the family court declined to implement the law early, stating that a decision on the matter would be made after the Taihaku ward mayor's opinion, whose deadline for submission is the end of September, is submitted.

Although the legal team is dissatisfied with the way the family court is proceeding, we will continue to engage in dialogue and work toward realizing Mr. Obama and his wife's marriage as soon as possible.