A Japanese court has ruled the country’s ban on same-sex marriage as constitutional – bucking a trend set by courts around the country that had raised hopes for marriage equality in Japan.
The ruling was met with disappointment from plaintiffs and their legal team who had gathered outside the Tokyo courthouse.
Japan is the only G7 country that does not fully recognise same-sex couples or offer them clear legal protection. But it’s not an outlier in Asia, where only Taiwan, Thailand and Nepal offer same-sex marriages.
Ayumi Higashi, the judge who delivered the verdict, said laws on same-sex marriage should first be deliberated in parliament, the newspaper Mainichi reported.
