Over 30 percent of the 146 local governments in Japan that have introduced a same-sex partnership system as of Jan. 1 have also signed reciprocal agreements with other municipalities to simplify reapplication procedures when LGBT couples move, according to a Kyodo News survey. The move comes amid criticism that the need for a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender couple to dissolve a partnership and reapply each time they move causes emotional stress. The cross-municipality cooperation has accelerated since the southwestern Japan cities of Fukuoka and Kumamoto signed such an agreement in October 2019. As of Jan. 1, five prefectures and 141 municipalities had introduced a same-sex partnership system, covering more than 40 percent of Japan’s total population.