Is being gay illegal in japan

The ruling in Sapporo, the first High Court decision on same-sex marriage in the country, emphatically shows the trend towards acceptance of same-sex marriage in Japan. There need to be concrete, legal measures in place to protect same-sex couples and the LGBTI community in Japan from all forms of discrimination.

The Tokyo District Court first ruled that the current legal framework, which does not recognize same-sex marriage, cannot be reasonably justified in the light of the dignity of the individual and the fundamental equality of the sexes, and should be considered a violation of Article 24 2 of the Constitution.

Japan court rules ban on same-sex marriage is ‘unconstitutional’

The Sapporo ruling is the first time the judiciary has recognized that the current law prohibiting same-sex marriage violates all three clauses — Article 24 1 and 2 and Article 14 1 of the Constitution. The Court still upheld the government ban on same-sex marriage. The Tokyo District Court reached a similar verdict in November However, these certificates do not completely mirror the legal benefits of marriage, such as automatic inheritance.

The bill has been widely criticized by rights groups due to its failure to address the protection of LGBTI rights from discrimination in a definitive manner. These are the latest in a series of similar court rulings in recent years, with varying results.