Same-sex couple from Japan to get married in Guam

HAGATNA, Guam – A same-sex couple from Japan is planning their wedding in Guam, the first U.S. territory to recognize same-sex marriage, officials said.

Tsuyoshi Kumagai and Robert Francis Yocum have been in a relationship for 20 years and plan to have their wedding on Wednesday, Pacific Daily News reported .

This is believed to be the first same-sex couple from Japan to get married on Guam, said Sumie Kuba, president and general manager for Micronesia Assistance Inc. Same-sex marriage is not recognized in Japan, Kuba said.

Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio, the first openly gay lieutenant governor in the nation, is expected to officiate, officials said.

“I feel that strength in legal LGBT wedding on Guam is that the couple can legally marry within a four-day stay, and the marriage certificate can be issued … (and they can) bring it back home,” Kuba said.

Guam’s attraction as a wedding destination for members of the LGBTQ communities in the region is growing, Kuba said.

Since recognizing same-sex marriage four years ago, Guam has seen 362 marriages between June 2015 and March this year, officials said.