Fukuoka, on the southern island of Kyushu, announced it will join six other Japanese cities in recognising gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender partnerships, the Japan Times reported. 

Authorities will issue documents that will make it easier for Fukuoka’s LGBT residents to rent housing from the city as a couple, or will allow for medical consent to be given by a partner at a city hospital. However, the move does not allow full legal rights. 

The city of more than 1.5 million people joins Sapporo, Naha, Iga, Takarazuka, and the Tokyo wards of Shibuya and Setagaya, which also recognize LGBT partnerships. Shibuya and Setagaya made the move to do so in 2015, laying the groundwork for other areas to follow.