Chizuka Oe and Yoko Ogawa have been together for 25 years, but when they submitted their marriage registration at a Tokyo town hall, they knew it would be rejected. “We were told that they cannot accept our registration because we are both women,” said Ogawa, standing in the winter sun outside the building in Nakano in western Tokyo. “There were several heterosexual couples next to us who submitted marriage registrations without any problem.” The couple is now planning to take action: Along with 12 other same-sex couples, they will file lawsuits on Valentine’s Day seeking to force the government to recognize gay marriage. “Why don’t we even have the simple choice of whether or not to get married?” asked Ogawa, who said she and Oe were forced to wait a long time before ultimately being turned down.