March 26, 2025

The Osaka High Court on March 25, in a lawsuit filed by three same-sex couples living in the prefectures of Kyoto and Kagawa and elsewhere, issued a ruling recognizing law provisions disallowing same-sex marriage as unconstitutional on the grounds that they significantly undermine the plaintiffs’ right to individual dignity and constitute irrational discrimination.

Along with the Osaka High Court, four other high courts in similar legal battles made unconstitutional judgement in regard to the ban on same-sex marriage.

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira at a press conference in the Diet building commented on the latest high court ruling.

Koike said, “The judiciary has presented a clear conclusion on this issue. The Diet should move to legalize gay marriage without delay.”