A district court in central Japan has ruled that the government's failure to recognize same-sex marriage violates the country's constitution.

A male couple in their 30s in Aichi Prefecture sought damages from the state. The couple claimed that the state's refusal to recognize same-sex marriage was against the constitution, which guarantees freedom of marriage and equality under the law. The state cited as a reason for its position a civil law rule that does not recognize same-sex marriage.

The government argued during the trial that the constitution does not mention marriages between same-sex partners.

At the Nagoya District Court on Tuesday, presiding judge Nishimura Osamu ruled that the government's failure to recognize same-sex marriages violates the constitution's Article 14, which says all people are equal under the law. He also cited as a reason for the ruling the second provision of Article 24, which calls for laws to be enacted from the standpoint of individual dignity and the essential equality of the sexes.

But the judge dismissed the plaintiffs' demand for damages.

This is the second time a Japanese court has ruled that the government's failure to recognize same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. The first ruling was in Sapporo in 2021.

Similar lawsuits have been filed in Osaka, Tokyo and Fukuoka.