2021年经济学人 日本离同性婚姻合法化还有多远(2)

The plaintiff?s say they will appeal against the refusal of compensation. In the meantime, campaigners plan to use the lower court’s fi?nding to bolster¹ suits in other cities. More favourable² rulings could increase pressure on parliament to act.

原告表示，他们将对拒绝赔偿提出上诉。与此同时，活动人士计划利用此次下级法院的判决来支持其他城市的诉讼。更多的有利裁决可能会给议会带来更大压力，迫使其采取行动。

Most voters would welcome that. A poll in 2018 found that nearly 80% of people aged³ between 20 and 59 approved of same-sex marriage; the share rose to nearly 90% among those in their 20s. Since two wards⁴ in Tokyo became the fi?rst local authorities to issue same-sex partnership⁵ certifi?cates in 2015, 72 more have followed, home to a third of the population.

大多数选民对此表示欢迎。2018年的一项民意调查发现，在20岁至59岁之间的人群中有近80%的人赞成同性婚姻；在20多岁的群体中，赞成比例上升到近90%。自2015年东京的两个区当局首次发布同性伴侣关系证明以来，又有72个区紧随其后，涵盖日本三分之一人口的家园。

Many business leaders see gay marriage as an economic as well as moral issue. As the American Chamber⁶ of Commerce in Japan noted⁷ last year, given the shrinking labour force, “Japanese companies cannot aff?ord to lose in the global competition for the brightest talent.” Nearly 150 companies belong to a “Business for Marriage Equality” campaign, among them blue-chip fi?rms such as Fujitsu and Panasonic.

许多商界领袖将同性婚姻视为经济和道德问题。正如美国商会去年在日本指出的那样，考虑到劳动人口的萎缩，“在全球最优秀人才的竞争中，日本企业输不起”。近150家日企参加了“婚姻平权企业”运动，其中包括富士通和松下等蓝筹股企业。

But the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) remains⁸ opposed to gay marriage. Its old-fashioned views on matters of sexual equality extend to married couples, whom it continues to bar from retaining separate surnames. Just 9% of LDP candidates for the upper house of parliament in 2019 backed gay marriage. Last month the prime minister, Suga Yoshihide, defended the government for supporting “the foundations of the family in this country”. But banning people from forming families is a peculiar⁹ form of support.

但执政的自由民主党(LDP)仍然反对同性婚姻。它不仅在两性平权问题上观念陈腐，还延伸到了已婚夫妇，自由民主党继续禁止已婚伴侣保留各自姓氏。2019年，只有9%的自民党日本参议院候选人支持同性婚姻。上个月，首相菅义伟为其政府支持“日本组建家庭的基础”进行了辩护。但禁止人们组建家庭是一种奇特的支持形式。

1 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

2 favourable   

adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的

参考例句：

• The company will lend you money on very favourable terms.这家公司将以非常优惠的条件借钱给你。
• We found that most people are favourable to the idea.我们发现大多数人同意这个意见。

3 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

4 wards   

区( ward的名词复数 )； 病房； 受监护的未成年者； 被人照顾或控制的状态

参考例句：

• This hospital has 20 medical [surgical] wards. 这所医院有 20 个内科[外科]病房。
• It was a big constituency divided into three wards. 这是一个大选区，下设三个分区。

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

9 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。