On the 2nd, oral arguments were held at the Fukuoka High Court in a lawsuit filed by three same-sex couples from Fukuoka and Kumamoto who are seeking damages from the government, arguing that provisions in the Civil Code and other laws that do not recognize same-sex marriage are unconstitutional. The plaintiffs stated their opinion, “We need a judgment that does not deny love and does not trample on human desires,” and the case concluded. Presiding Judge Ken Okada set the date for the verdict to be December 13th.

According to the plaintiffs’ legal team, the Sapporo High Court ruled the law unconstitutional in a March ruling in the second instance of a similar lawsuit, and the Tokyo High Court is scheduled to make a ruling on October 30.

The plaintiff, Kozo (41) from Kumamoto City, appeared in court on the 2nd and pleaded, “Please give us, who wish to get married, options for our future. Let us imagine hope for our lives.”

In a ruling last June that dismissed the claim, the Fukuoka District Court stated that the inability of homosexuals to marry is intolerable in light of the dignity of the individual and that it is a “situation that violates” Article 24, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution. However, it did not acknowledge that there was a violation of Article 13, which guarantees the right to pursue happiness.