A district court in Japan has ruled that criminalising same-sex marriage in unconstitutional, after 13 same-sex couples filed a lawsuit against the government in 2019 due to it being the only G7 country which has not yet enforced marriage equality regulations.
According to Reuters, the landmark ruling, made by the Sapporo district court, stated: “Sexual orientation cannot be changed or selected by a person’s will.
It is discriminatory treatment…that they cannot receive even some of the legal benefits that heterosexuals do.”Japan’s constitution outlaws forced marriage, with the lawyers of the 13 couples arguing these regulations should not apply to same-sex unions.