寸步向前--日本法院支持同性婚姻

 

Inching forward 寸步向前

A Japanese court backs same-sex marriage日本法院支持同性婚姻

But its ruling leaves it to the government to fix things

但法院裁決由政府去解決問題

Asia

Mar 20th 2021 edition

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Mar 18th 2021

TOKYO

On valentine’s day in 2019, 13 same-sex couples filed lawsuits in four cities across Japan. Their case was simple: they argued that their partnerships were no different from those of heterosexual couples, and that the government’s refusal to recognise gay marriage violated the constitution’s promise of equal treatment for all. This week a district court in Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands, came down on the side of the three couples who sued there, the first such ruling by a Japanese court. It is, as a sign held by supporters outside the courtroom proclaimed, “a big step forward for marriage equality”.

2019年的情人節，日本13對同性伴侶在四個城市提起訴訟。他們的案情很簡單：他們主張，他們的伴侶關係與異性伴侶並無不同，而且政府拒絕承認同性婚姻，違反憲法對所有人平等對待的承諾。本周三，日本主要島嶼的最北端，北海道地方法院偏向支持當地提訴的三對伴侶，這是日本法院首次如此裁定。正如法庭外的支持者所高舉的標語宣稱，這是「朝向婚姻平權的一大步」。

Yet it is also, for the time being, only a symbolic one. The three-judge panel declared that preventing the couples from marrying contradicted Article 14 of the constitution, which forbids discrimination on the basis of race, creed, sex, social status or family origin. Yet it also refused to award damages to the plaintiffs, arguing that public opinion was evolving quickly, and that the government should be given time to legislate on the matter.

然而，目前這也僅是象徵性的一步。三名法官組成的小組宣布，禁止伴侶結婚與憲法第14條相抵觸，憲法第14條禁止基於種族，信仰，性別，社會地位或家庭背景的歧視。然而，法院也駁回對原告的損害賠償，主張公眾輿論正在迅速演變，應給政府時間為同性婚姻立法。

Neither the constitution nor any laws explicitly ban same-sex marriages. Some local governments issue documents certifying same-sex partnerships, which can simplify hunts for flats and visits to partners in hospital. But the national government does not acknowledge these, depriving gay couples of certain benefits of marriage. That leaves Japan out of step not only with other rich countries—it is the only g7 member that does not recognise same-sex unions—but also with its former colony, Taiwan, which in 2019 became the first Asian country to legalise gay marriage.

憲法和任何法律都沒有明確禁止同性婚姻。一些地方政府簽發同性伴侶關係的證明文件，這可以簡化找公寓和探視住院伴侶的過程。但是中央政府不承認這些文件，剝奪同性伴侶的某些婚姻的權益。這使日本成為G7成員國中唯一不承認同性結合的國家，不僅與其他富國，也與其前殖民地台灣不同步調。台灣在2019年成為第一個同性婚姻合法化的亞洲國家。

The plaintiffs say they will appeal against the refusal of compensation. In the meantime, campaigners plan to use the lower court’s finding to bolster suits in other cities. More favourable rulings could increase pressure on parliament to act.

原告說，他們將對駁回賠償提出上訴。同時，社會運動人士計劃利用下級法院的裁定支持其他城市的訴訟。更有利的判決可能會增加議會採取行動的壓力。

Most voters would welcome that. A poll in 2018 found that nearly 80% of people aged between 20 and 59 approved of same-sex marriage; the share rose to nearly 90% among those in their 20s. Since two wards in Tokyo became the first local authorities to issue same-sex partnership certificates in 2015, 72 more have followed, home to a third of the population.

大多數選民對此表示歡迎。 2018年的一項民調顯示，20至59歲的族群，近80％贊成同性婚姻；在20歲族群此比例上升到近90％。自2015年東京的兩個選區成為第一個頒發同性伴侶證書的地方當局，超過72個選區跟進，廣及三分之一人口居住地。

Many business leaders see gay marriage as an economic as well as moral issue. As the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan noted last year, given the shrinking labour force, “Japanese companies cannot afford to lose in the global competition for the brightest talent.” Nearly 150 companies belong to a “Business for Marriage Equality” campaign, among them blue-chip firms such as Fujitsu and Panasonic.

許多企業領袖將同性婚姻視為經濟和道德問題。正如日本美國商會去年指出，鑑於勞動力的萎縮，「日本公司不能在全球競爭中失去最有才華的人才。」近有150家公司是「企業促進婚姻平權」運動的成員，其中包括富士通和松下等藍籌公司。

But the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (ldp) remains opposed to gay marriage. Its old-fashioned views on matters of sexual equality extend to married couples, whom it continues to bar from retaining separate surnames. Just 9% of ldp candidates for the upper house of parliament in 2019 backed gay marriage. Last month the prime minister, Suga Yoshihide, defended the government for supporting “the foundations of the family in this country”. But banning people from forming families is a peculiar form of support. ■

但執政的自民黨仍反對同性婚姻。它對性平等問題的過時看法已擴展到已婚夫婦，繼續禁止他們保留各別的姓氏。 2019年國會上議院的自民黨候選人，只有9％支持同性婚姻。首相菅義偉上月為政府支持「這國家的家庭基礎」而辯護。但禁止人們組建家庭，是一種特殊的支持方式。 ■