Court rules that Japan's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional

A district court in Japan ruled Wednesday that the government's failure to recognize same-sex marriages is unconstitutional. "Legal benefits stemming from marriages should equally benefit both homosexuals and heterosexuals," the Sapporo District Court said, according to The Associated Press.

But the court didn't go along with the plaintiffs' request for $9,100 in compensation per person for the difficulties they've suffered. The case was part of a series of lawsuits filed by same-sex couples arguing that they've suffered because they can't marry, reports the Japan Times. Many of the couples sued on Valentine's Day 2019, with actions being brought in Sapporo, Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. Another group of same-sex couples filed suit in Fukuoka in September 2019.