Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

Not Allowing Same-Sex Marriage Is "Unconstitutional": Japan Court

Not Allowing Same-Sex Marriage Is "Unconstitutional": Japan Court

The ruling by a district court, the first in Japan on the legality of same-sex marriages, is a major symbolic victory in a country where the constitution still defines marriage as being based on "the mutual consent of both sexes".

A Japanese court ruled on Wednesday that not allowing same-sex couples to get married is "unconstitutional," setting a precedent in the only G7 nation not to fully recognise same-sex partnership.

The ruling by a district court, the first in Japan on the legality of same-sex marriages, is a major symbolic victory in a country where the constitution still defines marriage as being based on "the mutual consent of both sexes".

Following the ruling, plaintiffs and supporters unfurled rainbow flags and banners in front of the court.

While a new law will be needed before same-sex marriages can actually take place - which could take some time in socially conservative Japan - the plaintiffs' lawyer called the ruling "revolutionary", while LGBT activists deemed it life-changing.

"Its value is absolutely measureless," said 44-year old Gon Matsunaka, director of activist group Marriage for All Japan and representative of Pride House Tokyo.

"Until the ruling was announced, we didn't know this was what we'd get and I'm just overjoyed."

While Japanese law is considered relatively liberal by Asian standards, social attitudes have kept the LGBT community largely invisible in the world's third largest economy. Taiwan became the first place in Asia to legalise same-sex marriages in 2019.

Under the current rules in Japan, same-sex couples are not allowed to legally marry, can't inherit their partner's assets - such as the house they may have shared - and also have no parental rights over their partners' children.

Though partnership certificates issued by individual municipalities help same-sex couples to rent a place together and have hospital visitation rights, they still don't give them the same full legal rights enjoyed by heterosexual couples.

"Sexual orientation cannot be changed or selected by a person's will," the ruling said. "It is discriminatory treatment ... that they cannot receive even some of the legal benefits that heterosexuals do."

The Sapporo District Court threw out the demand for damages by the six plaintiffs - two couples of men and one of women - who had asked that the Japanese government pay 1 million yen ($9,168.42) each in acknowledgment of the pain they suffered by not being able to legally marry.

But Takeharu Kato, the lawyer of the plaintiffs, called the verdict overall "revolutionary", while urging parliament to quickly start working on a law to make same-sex marriage possible.

"We praise this ruling for taking in the plaintiffs' earnest appeals," the lawyer told a news conference.

SAME JOYS, SAME PROBLEMS


Similar cases are currently being heard in four other courts around Japan and this ruling may indirectly influence their outcome.

"Only because the gender of the person we love is different, we can't get married. We live the same lives as heterosexuals, have the same troubles and the same joys," said one of the plaintiffs, a woman known only as "E".

"Though our lives are exactly the same, the nation wouldn't recognise this."

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a news conference he had not read the ruling in detail but that the government would "carefully watch" the outcomes of the other court cases.

While homosexual sex has been legal in Japan since 1880, social stigma means many have yet to come out even to their families. The Japanese ruling also came just days after the Vatican said priests cannot bless same-sex unions.

Some in the business world say Japanese rules not allowing same-sex marriage hurt the country's competitive advantage, by making it difficult for companies, especially foreign companies, to attract and keep highly-skilled labour in an increasingly international economy.

Tokyo residents also welcomed the ruling, saying it was about time things changed.

"Japan has always been conservative, but these days things are becoming more open," said 60-year old dentist Kyoko Enomoto. "I think it will open up a lot more from now on."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×