by Elaine Lies
TOKYO (Reuters) – A Japanese court Monday ruled that the same-sex marriage ban is not unconstitutional, representing a setback for LGBTQ rights activists in the only Group of Seven country that does not allow gay marriage.
The decision dashed hopes of increasing pressure on the central government to resolve the issue, after activists ruled in March 2021 in favor of a Sapporo city court claim that it did not allow gay marriage.
Three same-sex couples—two men and one woman—have filed suit in a district court in Osaka, the latter only in Japan.
In addition to rejecting the claim that the impossibility of marriage is unconstitutional, the court also dismissed claims for compensation of 1 million yen ($7,400) for each couple.
“I wonder if the legal system in this country really works,” said Machi Sakata, who married her US citizenship partner in the United States, one of the people who filed the lawsuit. The couple is expecting a baby in August.
“I think there is a chance that this decision really put us in a corner,” Sakata said. Said.
The Japanese Constitution defines marriage as based on “mutual consent of both sexes”. But the promotion of partnership rights for same-sex couples in Tokyo last week and growing support in opinion polls have raised hopes for the Osaka case among activists and lawyers.
The Osaka court said that marriage is defined as being between the opposite sex only and that there is not enough debate about same-sex marriage in Japanese society.
source: Noticias
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