According to Mainichi Shinbun, Osaka-based Panasonic has received numerous requests for this policy change from employees in addition to facing pressure as an Olympics sponsor—the Olympics Charter forbids discrimination of any kind, including discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The changes are currently being implemented and will mostly involve rewriting work regulation definitions for “marriage,” “spouse,” and so on. Additionally, employees will be able to take special leave for weddings and funerals and enroll their spouses in the company welfare program. Panasonic will also be including a rule against discrimination based on sexual orientation in their conduct guidelines, which affects the company’s nearly 250,000 employees both domestically and internationally.

One issue Panasonic is currently working out is determining what exactly constitutes as marriage in Japan for same-sex couples. Only a handful of districts in the country even issue certificates that recognize same-sex unions—marriage as a whole still isn't recognized by the Japanese government.

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