A former government employee cannot receive spousal benefits for their same-sex partner as Japanese law only recognises a union between a man and a woman, a court has ruled.

In the first reported decision of its kind, the Sapporo District Court on 11 September rejected Kaoru Sasaki’s claim of 4.83m yen ($32,766) in benefits from the Hokkaido government.

Sasaki argued in her lawsuit that withholding benefits from same-sex couples violates the guarantee of equality under the Japanese Constitution.