Fifty-one percent of people polled by researchers from the National Institute of Population, Social Security Research and Japanese Universities back legal recognition of same-sex marriage.

The poll quizzed 1,259 men and women between the ages of 20–79 regarding their feelings about gay marriage in general.

Notably, Support exceeded 70 percent among respondents in their 20s and 30s, while 38 percent in their 60s and 24 percent in their 70s were in favour, the Asahi newspaper reported.

However, respondents answered differently when questioned on gay issues a little closer to home.
53.2% answered that they would not be supportive if they learned that a male friend was gay, while 50.4% of respondents said they would not be supportive if it transpired that a female friend of theirs preferred women.

The survey also noted that more than 70% of men in their 40s said that they would not approve if they found out their co-worker was gay, according to Japan Today.

Japan has seen profession in LGBT rights recently with same-sex relationships acknowledged in some wards of Tokyo and Prime Minster Shinzo Abe’s wife even making an appearance at the Tokyo Rainbow Pride earlier this year.