A district court in Osaka, Japan has
upheld the constitutionality of the nation's ban on same-sex
marriage.
The plaintiffs in the case are two male
gay couples and a lesbian couple.
The ruling, issued Monday, stated that
marriage is defined as a heterosexual union, according
to Reuters.
Japan is the only Group of Seven nation
where gay and lesbian couples cannot legally marry.
Monday's ruling was only the second on
marriage equality in Japan.
A ruling last year in the city of
Sapporo declared Japan's marriage ban to be unconstitutional.
A lawyer for the couples said that they
would appeal the ruling in Osaka.