Same-sex marriage ban is constitutional, Japanese court upholds

A Tokyo court ruled Friday that Japan's refusal to legalize same-sex marriage is constitutional, according to the AP. The ruling thus overturned an earlier lower court verdict and is the sixth similar case to go to the Supreme Court.

Judge Ayumi Higashi argued that Japanese law defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, a concept based on the traditional model of a family with children. The lawsuit by eight LGBT people seeking equal marriage rights and damages of one million yen was dismissed by the court.

The plaintiffs expressed disappointment, but stressed that they would continue their efforts all the way to the Supreme Court. Public support for same-sex marriage is growing in Japan, but the country is so far the only one of the G7 not to provide any form of legally binding protection to couples from this community.

The main political opponent of legalisation remains the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, which insists that marriage should serve natural reproduction. As of 2019, more than 30 individuals seeking marriage equality have filed lawsuits.

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