LGBTQ rights in Japan suffered a blow on June 20, when a court in the country’s third-most populous city ruled that freedom of marriage in the constitution referred only to male-female unions, and that the country’s ban on same-sex marriage was therefore constitutional. The Osaka District Court also rejected demands for compensation for one million yen ($7,400) in damages, per couple, by three couples who said their right to free union and equality had been violated, according to the Associated Press (AP).