Japan: Japanese beer giant is recognising employees' same-sex marriages, even though Japan doesn't

Japanese beverage company Kirin has gotten a lot more inclusive.

The second-largest beer producer in the country is one of the latest companies announcing a change in diversity guidelines to include LGBTQ employees.

The guideline change came into effect on July 1, and will grant marriage benefits to employees with same-sex and common-law marriages, according to a press release picked up by SoraNews24. 

The company has around 20,000 employees in Japan — half of its global workforce — will also grant medical leave for procedures such as hormone therapy, and gender confirmation surgery. It has also pledged to hold workshops to raise diversity awareness amongst employees and customers. 

Kirin is a big name to join in a trend of large Japanese corporations to put up their hand in support of LGBTQ employees.

Electronics manufacturer Panasonic said in February last year it would begin recognising same-sex marriages for its 250,000 employees. Sony announced that it would also do the same right after Panasonic's announcement. Read more via Mashable