Question Period Note: Japanese court ruling on same-sex marriage

An Osaka court on Monday ruled that Japan's ban on same-sex marriage was not "unconstitutional". Japan is the only Group of Seven nation that doesn't allow people of the same gender to marry.

• Canada stands up for the protection and promotion of the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, 2-spirit and intersex (LGBTQ2I) people globally. The human rights of all persons are universal and indivisible.
• We note that Japan remains the only country among the Group of Seven (G7) to not legally recognize same-sex marriage.
• While discrimination persists against LGBTQ2I persons, and no national law is in place to protect LGBTQ2I rights, we note that there has been a growing acceptance of LGBTQ2I rights in recent years
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• For instance in March 2021, the Sapporo District Court ruled that the government's ban on same-sex marriages was unconstitutional, the first time in Japan's history. And last week, the Tokyo prefectural government passed a bill to recognize same-sex partnership agreements.

• As public debate continues in Japan on this issue, we trust Japan's leaders to carefully consider the importance of LGBTQ2I rights in creating a socially and economically inclusive society.

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