Japanese court rules same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional

LGBTQ flag map of Japan
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

A Japanese court has ruled that the country’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. While the ruling is being celebrated, it doesn’t mean that marriages can start being performed immediately.

Four other court cases are working their way through the system and the decision by the Sapporo District Court is expected to influence the outcomes.

Related: How Japanese homophobia is distinctly different from American homophobia

The court ruled that sexual orientation, like race, is not a matter of individual preference and therefore denying same-sex couples the same benefits as straight couples is unconstitutional.

“Legal benefits stemming from marriages should equally benefit both homosexuals and heterosexuals,” the court wrote in the ruling, saying the prohibition violates the constitutional ban “because of race, creed, sex, social status or family origin.”

The court denied the plaintiffs’ request for financial compensation of around $9,000.

Japan is the only G7 country to still ban same-sex marriage and has laws that actively…

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