Sapporo High Court rules that banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional; urges Japanese government to address the issue

[essentialsaltes]

The Sapporo High Court ruling said not allowing same-sex couples to marry and enjoy the same benefits as straight couples violates their fundamental right to have a family.

The court doesn't have the power to overturn the current marriage law, which has been interpreted to restrict marriage as between a man and a woman.

[Six lower district courts have also made similar rulings]

However, unlike the Sapporo ruling, none of the low-level courts clearly deemed the existing marriage law unconstitutional

Asked why they believe their country is the only one in the G-7 that doesn't yet allow same-sex marriage, [SSM poster boy] Katsuyama told CBS News Japan's ruling political party has close ties with fringe religious sects and staunchly conservative anti-LGBTQ groups.

A powerful right-wing minority in Japan's parliament has managed for years to block major changes to the country's marriage laws.

 

[FireDragon76]

Most Japanese are tolerant of gay people, and homosexuality wasn't traditionally considered especially sinful or evil in Japan, though westernization in the early 20th century did lead to encountering western sexology, which considered homosexuality deviant or a mental illness. And Japanese society as a whole tends to be conservative, especially in terms of political and social institutions.