The ruling dashes activists' hopes of raising pressure on Japan's government to address the issue after a Sapporo court in March 2021 decided in favour of a claim that not allowing same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. 'This is awful, just awful,' an unidentified female plaintiff said outside the courthouse in footage shown on public broadcaster NHK after the ruling, her voice cracking. It was not immediately clear whether the plaintiffs planned to appeal the case, only the second to be heard on the issue in Japan.
In addition to rejecting their claim that being unable to marry was unconstitutional, the court also threw out their demands for 1 million yen ($7,414) in damages for each couple. Three same-sex couples - two male, one female - had filed the case in the Osaka district court in Japan, which is the only Group of Seven nation that does not allow people of the same gender to marry. A Japanese court has ruled that a ban on same-sex marriage is not unconstitutional in a blow to gay rights campaigners.
