Each week, here at Osaka.com, we bring you a selection of some of the top stories about Osaka making the local and national news here in Japan. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes it’s funny, but it’s always direct to you, from Osaka.
Here’s a look at some of the stories hitting the headlines in Osaka this week.
Landmark Court Ruling has Marriage Equality Implications
Osaka’s High Court this week added its voice to growing calls nationwide for reform of marriage equality laws.
On March 25th, the high court handed down a ruling stating that Japan’s lack of legal recognition for marriages involving same sex partners was unconstitutional.
This overturns a previous ruling, in which the lower Osaka District Court ruled that the effective ban on same sex marriage did not violate Japan’s constitution. However, with courts elsewhere in Japan ruling in their favor, plaintiffs in the case chose to appeal to the High Court.
Their victory was confirmed yesterday. However, the judge declined to award any compensation for the damage the plaintiffs allege the current rules inflicted on them.
However, this legal ruling will not lead to instant change. Similar rulings on the unconstitutionality of current marriage laws have already come out of Sapporo, Nagoya, Fukuoka and Tokyo. Suits in several other jurisdictions are ongoing. Before yesterday though, Osaka was the only case where a court had ruled in favor of the current laws being fair and constitutional.
Osaka LGBT Community Boosted by Marriage Equality Ruling
The implications of this ruling go far beyond just allowing same sex couples to marry.
Due to Japan’s complex “family register” process for registering births, marriages and deaths, lack of marriage recognition has several knock-on effects.
Two of the plaintiffs in this case, a female couple with a two-year-old daughter, spoke of the difficulty they faced in getting their child Japanese citizenship. Although one of the partners is Japanese, she cannot register herself as the mother of her daughter. Since it was her partner, a non-Japanese who birthed the child, officially, the child is considered the daughter of a foreign single mother.
It’s a complicated situation, but one that many gay couples in Japan who have conceived through surrogacy face.
While the central government debates joining the rest of the G-7 nations in recognizing same-sex marriage, Osaka does have the option of passing a local ordinance recognizing that couples in civil partnerships can have the same rights as married, heterosexual couples.
At the time of writing the Osaka government has not commented on whether or not they will do so.
Osaka on Alert as Yellow Dust Sweeps in from China
Hay fever and allergy suffers in Osaka need to be careful this week, as a wave of desert dust sweeps into the city.
The dust, which originates from the Gobi Desert, bordering China and Mongolia, has become something of an annual trend in recent years. As well as aggravating symptoms for hay fever suffers and asthmatics, the dust can also impact visibility.
Meteorologists reported reduced visibility in Osaka throughout Wednesday. In some areas, visibility came down to just 8 meters.
The dust itself is relatively harmless, the problem lies in its ability to bond with other particles, as it moves through the air. The route the dust travels as it heads from China to Japan takes it over several heavily industrialized areas of China. In turn, the pollutants in the air around these Chinese cities make the dust hazardous to the health of the Japanese public.
Beyond just respiratory issues, some studies also link the increase in dust distribution to an increase in heart attacks and strokes in Japan over the past 20 years.
Osaka residents are advised to avoid spending prolonged periods outside over the next few days, and to wear a face mask if they feel the need to do so.
And Finally
There were celebrations all round for Osaka’s many soccer fans this week. The Japan national side became the first non-host country to confirm their place at the 2026 World Cup, with a 2-0 win over Bahrain.
Fans gathered in bars and other venues across the city to watch the game.
Japan will now see out their remaining qualifying matches with one eye on next year’s showpiece event. For the first time, the World Cup will take place across an entire continent, with the US, Canada and Mexico all hosting matches at the tournament.
Japan will learn who they face in the final tournament when FIFA makes the final group stage draw in December this year.
Until then, with places still up for grabs in the squad, we can expect Japanese footballers everywhere to play with a renewed vigor in the months ahead.
That’s all for now but be sure to check back again same time next week for another round of this week in Osaka!
