New Japanese court ruling on same-sex marriage crushes activists’ dream for equality

A district court in Osaka, Japan ruled on June 20, 2022, that the ban on same-sex unions does not violate the Japanese constitution, citing the legal definition of marriage and a lack of public debate on the issue. The judgment stands in stark contrast to a March 17, 2021 ruling by a Sapporo district court, which said that barring same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. This also comes after the regional Tokyo government recently passed a bill recognising same-sex partnerships.