(Update) Japan Top Court Backs Survivor Benefits for Same-Sex Partners

   Tokyo, March 26 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a lower court ruling that rejected a claim by the same-sex partner of a murder victim over survivor benefits for the bereaved families of crime victims.
   "Same-sex partners can be entitled to the benefits", Presiding Justice Michiharu Hayashi said at the top court's Third Petty Bench. It is the top court's first ruling on such a case.
   The top court sent the case back to Nagoya High Court to examine whether the plaintiff, Yasuhide Uchiyama, a 49-year-old resident of Aichi Prefecture, is eligible for the benefits.
   The decision was made by a majority, with support from four of the five justices. Justice Yukihiko Imasaki opposed the decision, saying that the plaintiff does not qualify for the benefits.
   There are challenges in exploring how the legal protection of same-sex partners should be, Imasaki said. "I cannot deny feeling that we are moving too fast at the moment," he said.

(2024/03/26-20:48)

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