The Japanese court confirms the ban on same-sex marriage

A court in Japan on Monday approved the prohibition of same-sex marriagein that country. He claimed that this restriction did not violate the Constitution and rejected the compensation claims of three couples who claimed that their right to free union and equality had been violated.

The Osaka District Court ruling is the second decision on the matter and runs counter to a ruling last year by a Sapporo court that declared the ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional.

Stresses how divisive the issue remains in Japan, the single member of the Group of Seven major industrialized countries which does not recognize homosexual unions.

In its ruling, the Osaka court rejected plaintiffs’ claim for 1 million yen ($ 7,400) in damages per couple for the discrimination they face.

The plaintiffs – two male couples and one female couple – were among 14 same-sex couples who filed lawsuits against the government in five major cities – Sapporo, Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Osaka – in 2019 for violating trade union rights and equality.

They claimed that they were illegally discriminated against because they were deprived of the same economic and legal benefits that heterosexual couples enjoy through marriage.

Support for sexual diversity has grown slowly in Japan, but still there is a lack of legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The LGBTQ population often faces discrimination at school, at work and at home, forcing many to hide their sexual identity.

Human rights groups had pushed for an equality law to pass before the Tokyo Olympics last summer, when international attention was focused on Japan, but the bill was overruled by the Conservative party al power.

With AP information

DD