As the Thai government prepares to introduce -- for the first time in Asia -- a bill that would extend most of the benefits of marriage to same-sex couples, JRT took a look at how the situation for gays and lesbians in Japan compares.

The bottom line: Although there's little overt discrimination -- legislated or popular -- against "sexual minorities," as Japanese officialdom terms them, there's also little support for recognizing or legalizing unions between same-sex couples.

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