Japan same-sex marriage ban ruled unconstitutional again by courts - BBC News

LGBT+ activists hail the legal win but say real reform is still up to a conservative legislature.

6 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, ReutersImage caption, Japan's constitution currently defines marriage as one between "both sexes"By Frances Mao & Sakiko Shiraishiin Singapore and TokyoTwo more rulings in Japanese district courts have added weight to the push for same-sex marriage to be legalised.

This week, courts in Tokyo and Sapporo ruled the nation's current ban was "unconstitutional", in line with previous landmark verdicts.

The rulings in separate cases found that the ban breached citizens' rights.

Even as they welcomed the verdicts, activists warned that the historic step of legalising same-sex unions would still need to come from lawmakers.

Currently, Japan remains the only G7 country not to fully recognise same-sex couples or offer them clear legal protection. But it is not an outlier in Asia, where Taiwan is the only place to allow same-sex unions.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-68561968

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