Under current rules in Japan, members of same-sex couples are not allowed to legally marry, cannot inherit each other's assets and also have no parental rights over each other's children. In addition, the introduction of partnership rights for same-sex couples in Tokyo last week, along with rising support in opinion polls, had raised hopes for the Osaka case. In March 2021, a district court in the city of Sapporo decided decided in favor of a claim that not allowing same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Monday’s (June 20) ruling is a set back for LGBTQ rights activists who had hoped to continue placing pressure on the government following a similar case last year. I am extremely furious, and I am very disappointed.” They ruled that it is constitutional that people are being discriminated against for their sexuality that they cannot change. Machi Sakata, who married her U.S.-citizen partner in the United States, was one of the plaintiffs.
Japan is the only nation among the Group of Seven that does not allow people of the same gender to marry. The Osaka court said that marriage was defined as being only between opposite genders and not enough debate on same-sex marriage had taken place in Japanese society. STORY: A Japanese court has ruled that a ban on same-sex marriage is not unconstitutional.
