MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th May, 2023) Another Japanese court has ruled that the government's refusal to recognize same-sex marriages is unconstitutional because it allegedly violates the guarantee of equality enshrined in the country's basic law, media reported on Tuesday.
The ruling was the second such verdict in five similar lawsuits filed in the country's district courts, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported. The Sapporo District Court issued a similar ruling in March 2021, the report said.
Meanwhile, a district court in the city of Nagoya has rejected a lawsuit filed by a male couple who demanded that Japan pay them 1 million Yen ($7,100) each as compensation for the current legal system that prevents them from getting married, the news agency added.
District courts in Osaka and Tokyo ruled in June and November 2022, respectively, that the ban on same-sex marriage was constitutional, but the Tokyo court noted that the absence of a legal system recognizing same-sex marriage was in a "state of unconstitutionality," according to the report.
In February, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reportedly stepped up efforts to address growing criticism of his government's stance on sexual minorities by appointing a female politician to a new position in charge of promoting the rights of the LGBT community. The prime minister also apologized for discriminatory remarks against sexual minorities made by his former aide, Arai Masayoshi, earlier that month.
Japan is the only Group of Seven country that does not recognize same-sex marriage. Representatives of the LGBT community argue that the government's failure to recognize same-sex marriage violates their constitutional rights.
