Mar 17 2021 01:28 PMTOKYO - Japan's failure to recognize same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, a court ruled Wednesday, in a landmark first verdict on the issue that was welcomed with joy by campaigners.More than a dozen same-sex couples filed lawsuits in district courts across Japan in 2019 seeking recognition of gay marriage.
Japan is the only Group of Seven nation that still does not recognize the unions.In the first ruling on the lawsuits, a court in northern Japan's Sapporo rejected a request for damages of 1 million yen ($9,000) per person for plaintiffs who argued they were being denied the same legal rights as heterosexual couples.But the verdict rules that the failure to provide ways for same-sex couples to "enjoy even a part of.