The court for the first time supports the right to same-sex marriage

Follow Bloomberg further Telegram for all the investment news and analysis you need.

A Japanese court has ruled that the lack of legal recognition for same-sex marriage violates the constitution, in the country’s first ruling on marriage equality.

The district court in Sapporo on the northern island of Hokkaido delivered the ruling Wednesday, Kyodo News said in the first of a series of similar damages lawsuits that couples have filed in five courts across the country. The three couples involved in the case on Wednesday said their rights had been violated because equality and freedom of marriage were enshrined in the constitution, public broadcaster NHK said.

‘This is an important statement and I hope it will be an opportunity to create awareness that marriage is a right that all people should have equal rights, ‘said Masa Yanagisawa, head of Prime Services Japan at Goldman Sachs. He is also on the board of the Marriage For All campaign group.

The Sapporo court rejected the government’s claim for damages from the government, but said in its ruling that the lack of same-sex access to some of the rights offered by heterosexual couples amounts to discrimination, Kyodo said.

It remains to be seen whether the other district court cases will result in similar rulings, and whether an appeal will be lodged with a higher court.

Although a number of local authorities have begun to recognize same-sex partnerships, Japan has made little progress toward equal marriage compared to Western countries. This can leave couples without basic rights, such as the ability to visit a partner in the hospital.