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☆ Asia markets set for weak open as Wall Street rally fades
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Asia-Pacific markets are set for a weak open in the final week of June, following U.S. markets which snapped a multi-week winning streak Friday. In an early Monday note, CMC Markets analyst Tina Teng, wrote that "economic concerns took central stage again as recession fears mounted, with spiking rates in both Europe and the US rattling global markets." Over the weekend, Europe also saw a brief rebellion by the Wagner private military group in Russia, and markets are likely to be on edge. In Australia, futures for the S&P/ASX 200 were at 7,043, lower than the index's last close of 7,099.2. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index is also poised to fall, with futures at 18,764 compared to the HSI's close of 18,889.97.

Persons: Tina Teng, Wagner Organizations: CMC, Nikkei Locations: Asia, Pacific, U.S, Europe, Russia, Japan, Chicago, Osaka, Australia, Hong

Asia-Pacific markets are set for a mixed open as investors look to inflation data out of Japan and Singapore, as well as flash estimates from the au Jibun bank on Japan's manufacturing and services activity. Japan's core inflation rate in May eased slightly to 3.2% year-on-year, lower than April's 3.4% but still above the BOJ's 2% target. In Australia, futures for the S&P/ASX 200 were at 7,145, lower than the index's last close of 7,195.5. Should the losses hold, Australia is on pace for a third-straight day of losses, after seeing its largest one-day fall in June on Thursday. Mainland Chinese markets are closed Friday for a public holiday.

Organizations: Nikkei, Reuters Locations: Asia, Pacific, Japan, Singapore, Chicago, Osaka, Australia

☆ Asia markets set for weaker open after Fed forecasts more rate hikes to deal with inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

This long exposure picture shows the city's skyline with the Tokyo Tower (C) from Toyosu Gururi Park in Tokyo's Koto district on January 25, 2023. Asia-Pacific markets are set to mostly fall after U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell forecast more rate hikes this year, saying that "the process of getting back down to 2% has a long way to go." Futures for Australia's S&P/ASX 200 were at 7,274, lower than the index's last close of 7,314.9 and pointing at a second-straight day of losses. Elsewhere, markets in Hong Kong and mainland China, as well as Taiwan are closed for a holiday today. Ether climbed to nearly reach the $1,900 mark, its highest level since June 4.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Powell Organizations: U.S, Federal, Financial Services, Nikkei, Australia's Locations: Tokyo, Tokyo's Koto, Asia, Pacific, Japan, Chicago, Osaka, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan

☆ Vienna is the world's most livable city — again. Here are the other top spots
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Goh Chiew Tong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Austria's Vienna has come up on top again as the best city to live in globally, according to a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Austria's Vienna has come up top again as the best city to live in globally, according to a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Copenhagen also retains its position as the second most livable city in the world, while Australian cities Sydney and Melbourne broke into the top five. Hong Kong also moved 13 places up the rank to 61st most livable city in the world. Decline in stability scoresWhile health-care, education, infrastructure, culture and entertainment scores saw improvements in the past year, stability saw a "marginal decline," said the EIU.

Persons: New Zealand's Wellington, CNBC's, EIU Organizations: Austria's, Economist Intelligence Unit, Melbourne, Germany's Locations: Austria's Vienna, Copenhagen, Sydney, Vienna, Austria, Denmark, Melbourne, Australia, Vancouver, Canada, Zurich, Switzerland, Calgary, Geneva, Toronto, Osaka, Japan, Auckland, New Zealand, Asia, Pacific, New Zealand's, Hong Kong, Western Europe, Germany's Frankfurt

☆ The 11 world cities with the best quality of life
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Vienna is still the most livable city in the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Liveability Index for 2023. That's according to this year's Global Liveability Index from the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) that was just published. The index is based on five categories measuring various aspects of the quality of life in each city, such as healthcare and infrastructure. The infrastructure category for instance includes things like the "quality of public transport," and the "availability of good quality housing," per the report. 1 last year too out of 172 cities instead of 173 cities, as Kyiv, Ukraine, wasn't part of the ranking last year.

Persons: — Organizations: Economist Intelligence, Service, Economist Intelligence Unit, Vienna, Osaka Locations: Vienna, Osaka, Japan, Auckland , New Zealand, That's, Kyiv, Ukraine, Copenhagen, Denmark, Vancouver, Canada, Auckland, Melbourne, Australia

☆ Most liveable cities: The 2023 rankings are in
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The ranking of the world’s most liveable cities for 2023 has just been released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), and Vienna has come out on top yet again. The world's most liveable cities for 2023: The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Global Liveability Index ranked Osaka, Japan as the 10th most liveable city in the world. Vladislav Zolotov/iStockphoto/Getty Images The world's most liveable cities for 2023 have been revealed (photos) Prev Next“The removal of covid-related restrictions has overall boded well for global liveability in 2023,” Upasana Dutt, Head of Liveability Index at EIU, said in a statement. Stability declineCalgary was one of three Canadian cities to make it into the top 10 on the 2023 list. Damascus, consistently one of the lowest-ranked cities in the survey, has seen no improvement in its liveability scores this year.

Persons: CNN — It’s, Pierre Ogeron, David Hanson, Vladislav Zolotov, ” Upasana Dutt, ”, Barsali Bhattacharyya, “ Organizations: CNN, Economist Intelligence Unit, Denmark’s, Sydney, Melbourne, Japan’s Osaka, Zurich, Geneva, Calgary, Getty, “, London, Industry Research, Algeria’s, Kyiv Locations: “, Austrian, Vienna, Melbourne, Sydney, Canada, Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, Switzerland, Osaka, Japan, jenifoto, Geneva, Swiss, Zurich, Cavan, Australia, New South Wales, Copenhagen, Denmark, Austria, EIU, Asia, Europe, Stockholm, Edinburgh, Ukraine, Honolulu, Hawaii’s, San Diego, Los Angeles, Algeria’s Algiers, Libya’s Tripoli, Syria’s Damascus, Damascus, Ukrainian, ”, Kiev

☆ Japan sees 1.9 million visitors in May, down from cherry blossom rush
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, June 21 (Reuters) - Japan saw a slight decline in visitors in May from the previous month, when a rush of tourists came to see the nation's famous cherry blossoms without COVID-19 restrictions, official data showed on Wednesday. The number of foreign visitors for business and leisure came in just below 1.9 million last month from a post-pandemic high of 1.95 million in April, the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) said. Meanwhile, the yen has weakened sharply against other major currencies, making trips to Japan the cheapest in many years. "Japan has been viewed for a long time as a bucket list country by North American leisure travellers," she said. "Now that Japan has reopened to tourists and the current exchange rate makes leisure trips less expensive, we think this trend will continue to grow."

Persons: Jefferies, Mitsuko Miyasako, Kiyo Weiss, Rocky Swift, Varun, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Japan National Tourism Organisation, Consumer, J.Front, Air, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, China, Tourism, Osaka, Kyoto, Asia, Pacific, American

☆ Meet the typical Japanese millennial: Victims of the country's 'Lost Decade,' they are trapped in dead-end jobs and are adamant about never having kids
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Matthew Loh | Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

At 36, Isechi Makoto finally feels like he can start living life. Like many Japanese millennials, Isechi is content with living life as it is, happy to stay afloat as they watched their nation endure crippling economic crises and natural disasters. In comparison, the US is home to 72 million millennials, while China has around 400 million millennials. Insider spoke to three millennials in Japan, as well as two economists, to better understand the generation. Our findings about their career aspirations, their spending habits, and their financial decision-making speak to the typical millennial in Japan, but not every millennial.

Persons: Isechi Makoto, Isechi, he's Organizations: Pew Research Center Locations: Hokkaido, Kagoshima, Osaka, Japan, China

Asia-Pacific markets are set to trade higher on Monday, with Japan's markets set to continue reaching 33-year highs. The Nikkei 225 has posted weekly gains for the last 10 weeks, and is set to extend this with a strong open. The futures contract in Chicago stood at 33,810, and its counterpart in Osaka was at 33,700 against its last close at 33,706.08. In contrast, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index looks to start the week lower, after the index saw a strong rally last week. HSI futures stood at 19,988 compared to the HSI's close of 20,040.37.

Persons: Antony Blinken Organizations: Nikkei, U.S Locations: Asia, Pacific, Chicago, Osaka, Australia, Beijing, China

☆ Asia markets headed for mixed open ahead of Bank of Japan rate decision
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Lim Hui Jie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Kazuo Ueda, governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ), far right, speaks during an event at the central bank's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Ueda said central banks need to be more careful about how they communicate with increase in their toolkits and advancements in monetary policy making. Photographer: Noriaki Sasaki/The Yomiuri Shimbun/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesAsia-Pacific markets are set for a mixed open Friday after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite posted a sixth-straight day of gains and investors in the region look to the Bank of Japan's rate decision. In Australia, futures for the S&P/ASX 200 were at 7,167, slightly lower than the index's last close of 7,175. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index is set to extend its rally after gaining over 2% on Thursday, with futures at 19,951 compared with the HSI's close of 19,828.92.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda, Ueda, Noriaki Sasaki Organizations: Bank of Japan, Yomiuri Shimbun, Bloomberg, Getty Images, Nasdaq, Bank of, Bank of America, Nikkei Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Getty Images Asia, Pacific, Chicago, Osaka, Australia

☆ Tottori Sand Dunes: Japan’s disappearing desert
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Claire Hannum | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But these are the Tottori Sand Dunes, wedged along the coast of Japan’s sparsely populated San’in region, the country’s very own slice of desert. A dwindling treasureThe Tottori dunes are located on the western coast of Honshu, Japan’s largest and most populous island. The Tottori Sand Dunes are just 12% of the size that they were 100 years ago. “The environmental conditions of the Tottori Sand Dunes are different from those of arid lands because of its humid climate,” Nagamatsu says. “But Tottori University is promoting arid land research using the ‘sand’ conditions of the Tottori Sand Dunes and experimental facilities.”Down the road from the research center, tourists are experiencing an otherworldly adventure in the sand.

Persons: you’d, They’ve, Takeo Arishima, ”, Dai Nagamatsu, Akira Miyawaki, — Buddhika, Nagamatsu, shiba, sandboarders, Anya Jarilla, “, it’s, amulapo, Kengo Kuma Organizations: Japan CNN, Sand Museum, Tottori University’s Faculty of Agriculture, Local, Brazilian Amazon ., Research Center, ” Staff, Associates Locations: Tottori Prefecture, Japan, Tottori, Honshu, Japan’s, Osaka, Hiroshima, Chūgoku, Sendai, Tottori University’s, Tottori City, Brazilian, Paragliders, Tottori Sand, Tokyo, ”

Asia-Pacific markets are set to rise after the U.S. Federal Reserve held off on a rate hike while projecting that another two quarter percentage point moves are on the way before the end of the year. The latest decision left the Fed's key borrowing rate in a target range of 5%-5.25%.The central bank forecast it will raise interest rates as high as 5.6% before 2023 is over. In Asia, New Zealand fell into a technical recession after its first quarter gross domestic product fell 0.1% year on year, after reporting a revised 0.7% decline in the final quarter of 2022. Japan's May trade balance will be released later today as the Bank of Japan kicks off its two-day monetary policy meeting. China will release a slew of economic data, including industrial output, retail sales and house prices for May.

Persons: Hong Organizations: U.S . Federal Reserve, Nikkei, Bank of Japan Locations: Asia, Pacific, New Zealand, Japan, Chicago, Osaka, China

Asia-Pacific markets are set to largely rise on Tuesday ahead of the U.S. inflation report and Federal Reserve's two-day meeting later in the day – the central bank is widely expected to hold rates for the first time in 15 months while inflation's annual outlook marked a two-year low in the latest New York Fed survey. Japan's Nikkei 225 is set to reach new 2023-highs – its futures contract in Chicago is at 32,795, and its counterpart in Osaka at 32,644 against its last close at 32,434. Australian markets come back from a public holiday with futures for the S&P/ASX 200 at 7,123, just slightly higher than the index's last close of 7,122. However, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index is set to snap a four day winning streak, with futures at 19,358 compared to the HSI's close of 19,404.31.

Persons: Hong Organizations: Fed, Nikkei Locations: Asia, Pacific, Chicago, Osaka

☆ Swiatek reigns supreme at French Open by quelling Muchova
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Shrivathsa Sridhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"First of all congratulations to Karolina," said Swiatek, who became the first woman to successfully defend the Roland Garros women's singles title since Justine Henin in 2007. EMOTIONAL SCENESThat sparked emotional scenes on centre court as Swiatek shed tears of joy before joining her family in the crowd for a celebration. For Muchova, it was a first defeat against a player ranked in the top three in six meetings. Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said of the Pole: "She's getting this special relationship with Roland Garros over the years. Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar and Karolos Grohmann in Paris; Editing by Ken FerrisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Roland Garros, Iga, Suzanne Lenglen, Karolina Muchova, Iga Swiatek, Swiatek, Monica Seles, Seles, Naomi Osaka, Karolina, Justine Henin, It's, Philippe Chatrier, Muchova, Swiatek shrugged, We've, Serena Williams, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Amelie Mauresmo, She's, Ivan Dodig, Austin Krajicek, Sander Gille, Joran, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Karolos, Ken Ferris Organizations: Czech, Karolina Muchova REUTERS, U.S, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, PARIS, Poland, Prague, Czech, Croatian, American

☆ Giant rubber duck deflated in Hong Kong’s harbor amid fierce heat
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —One of two giant rubber ducks on display in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor was deflated on Saturday to protect it from sweltering temperatures. “Today, we originally planned to bring my child to see the yellow duck. “So, she was super sad, because she can see just only one.”Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s “Rubber Duck” initially appeared in Victoria Harbor a decade ago. “Double duck is double luck,” artist Hofman said in a statement. “The work emphasizes friendship and getting connected … ‘Double Ducks’ is not about looking into the past but enjoying the moment together!”

Persons: Florentijn, Hofman Organizations: CNN, Locals, Hong, Ducks Locations: Hong, Victoria, Hong Kong, Thailand, Victoria Harbor, France, Osaka, Sydney, Sao Paolo, Victoria Harbour

☆ A sushi chain is suing a teen who licked a soy sauce bottle for nearly half a million dollars. His lawyer argues the teen never meant for footage of the incident to go viral.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( Lina Batarags | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

In a viral video, the teen was licking a soy sauce bottle and touching sushi. It's not an isolated incident: Sushi terrorism is on the rise. Food and Life Companies, which owns Akindo Sushiro, is worth $363.8 billion. Akindo Sushiro operates 610 branches in Japan and employs more than 47,000 people across full-time and part-time roles. A spokesperson for Akindo Sushiro declined Bloomberg's request for comment.

Persons: —, Akindo Sushiro, Insider's Aaron McDade, Sushiro Organizations: Service, Food, Life Companies, NHK, Japan's, China Morning Post Locations: Japan, Osaka, China

CNN —A sushi chain is suing a high school student for 67 million yen ($480,000) after social media footage showed him licking his finger then touching a plate of sushi as it passed him on the conveyor belt, Japan’s public broadcaster has reported. The footage of the student also showed him licking a soy sauce bottle and a cup that he then placed back onto a communal pile. NHK said the student’s legal counsel wrote to the court in May asking it to dismiss the complaint. It said the student had admitted the act and regretted his actions, but added that there was no proof of a link between his actions and the drop in customers at the sushi chain. Akindo Sushiro Co. told CNN it would refrain from giving details of the case because it was under appeal.

Persons: Akindo Sushiro Organizations: CNN, NHK Locations: Gifu, Japan, Osaka

☆ Japanese companies team up for battery storage project to fuel clean energy expansion
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 7 (Reuters) - Japan's Itochu Corp (8001.T) said on Wednesday it has jointly established a power storage company with Osaka Gas Co (9532.T) and Tokyo Century Corp (8439.T), as the country's expansion in renewable energy drives demand for storage capacity. Batteries are central to Japan becoming carbon neutral by 2050, as they are critical for storage of renewable energy to smoothen output fluctuations. The project will have capacity of 23 megawatt hours and output of 11 megawatt, for which Itochu would provide storage batteries and construction, Osaka Gas would trade the power and Tokyo Century would do business management. Japan is targeting over $24 billion in investments both from the public and private sectors to develop domestic battery production capacity of 150 gigawatt hours (GWh) by 2030, including for electric vehicles, and global production by Japanese companies of 600 GWh. Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Itochu, Katya Golubkova, Rashmi Organizations: Itochu Corp, Osaka Gas Co, Tokyo Century Corp, Osaka Gas, Thomson Locations: Osaka prefecture, Japan, Osaka, Tokyo

☆ Florentijn Hofman’s ‘Rubber Duck’ returns to Hong Kong — and now there are two
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A decade since it famously appeared in Victoria Harbour, Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman’s “Rubber Duck” sculpture has returned to Hong Kong. “Double duck is double luck,” Hofman said in a statement. One of artist Florentijn Hofman's "Rubber Duck" sculptures famously appeared in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour in 2013. In the years since first arriving in Hong Kong, “Rubber Duck” has appeared in the waters of cities such as Seoul and Los Angeles. Ahead of the installation, images of the pair have been pasted on the side of the city’s trams and at subway stations around Hong Kong.

Persons: Florentijn, peng ”, ” Hofman, . Cheng, Jiang Zemin Organizations: CNN, Ducks, Victoria Harbour, South China Morning, Social Locations: Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong, Tsing, France, Osaka, Sydney, Sao Paolo, Hong, Victoria, South, Weibo, Seoul, Los Angeles, Keelung, Santiago , Chile

Asia-Pacific markets are set to rise after U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law a debt ceiling bill that allowed the U.S. to avert defaulting on its financial obligations over the weekend. The compromise debt ceiling bill passed the Senate by a 63-36 margin Thursday evening, winning enough support from both parties to overcome the chamber's 60-vote threshold to avoid a filibuster. The next level to watch for investors will be the 32,644 mark which would breach its highest since July 1990. Oil futures also surged as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) kingpin Saudi Arabia's decision to cut oil production by another million barrels per day. Prices of Brent crude were 2.35% up at 77.94, while West Texas Intermediates was up 2.43% at 72.48.

Persons: Joe Biden, Brent Organizations: Nikkei, of, Petroleum, Saudi Locations: Asia, Pacific, Japan, Chicago, Osaka, West Texas

☆ Japan slammed by torrential rain as tropical storm nears
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TOKYO, June 2 (Reuters) - Parts of Japan were slammed by torrential rain on Friday as Tropical Storm Mawar neared, with authorities advising more than a million people to evacuate, many flights and other transport cancelled and power outages in thousands of homes. Mawar, which wreaked havoc on Guam earlier this week, has weakened to a tropical storm from its earlier super typhoon status. Shinkansen bullet train service was halted from Tokyo to Osaka, western Japan, as well as some other parts of the nation, NHK public broadcaster reported. Similar weather patterns have caused flooding and landslides in the past, most notably in the summer of 2018, when more than 200 people were killed in western Japan. Though heavy summer rains are not uncommon in Japan, June is unusually early for a typhoon-type storm to near the islands.

Persons: Mawar, Hirokazu Matsuno, Elaine Lies, Mayu Sakoda, Kaori Kaneko, Shri Navaratnam, Lincoln, Frances Kerry Organizations: Disaster Management Agency, Transport Ministry, NHK, Toyota, JMA, Japan Meteorological Agency, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, Okinawa, Guam, Honshu, Wakayama prefecture, Tokyo, Osaka, Aichi prefecture, Shizuoka prefecture, Shikoku

2 Aryna Sabalenka did not participate in a customary post-match press conference after her third-round win at the French Open on Friday, saying she didn’t feel safe when participating in a press conference held earlier this week. Normally, press conferences by players are required. Reuters also reported that French Open organizers said that they want to “protect” Sabalenka and that whether she attends other post-match press conferences will be her decision. CNN has reached out to the French Tennis Federation, the organizers of the French Open, for comment. In 2021, Naomi Osaka of Japan sparked headlines and debate when she had announced she wouldn’t participate in press conferences during the French Open, citing her mental health.

Persons: Aryna Sabalenka, “, ” Sabalenka, Sabalenka’s, Roland Garros, Naomi Osaka, ’ Sabalenka, Sabalenka, ” Organizations: CNN, Reuters, French Tennis Federation, Roland, – Locations: Belarusian, Ukraine, Belarus, Paris, Japan, “

Asia-Pacific markets are set to fall as Wall Street considered the likelihood of Congress passing a tentative deal on raising the U.S. debt ceiling amid growing opposition within the GOP on the tentative deal that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed over the weekend. Australia will publish its seasonally adjusted April inflation figures, and a rate decision from Thailand's central bank, among others. In Australia, futures for the S&P/ASX 200 were at 7,187, lower than the index's last close of 7,209.3, ahead of its unemployment figures for April. Economists polled by Reuters expect the country's weighted inflation rate in April to slow slightly to 6.4%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index is set to fall further despite a late rally in Tuesday session, with futures at 18,260 compared to the HSI's close of 18,595.78.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Joe Biden Organizations: GOP, Nikkei, Reuters Locations: Asia, Pacific, Australia, Thailand's, Japan, Chicago, Osaka, 31,328.160

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - A person jogging passes the Sydney Opera House as the rising sun reflects off buildings in the central business district (CBD) on September 28, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. The U.S. Congress is set to vote on the legislation as early as Wednesday. Lawmakers have not signaled that they intended to return to Capitol Hill early to work on the deal. In Australia, futures for the S&P/ASX 200 were at 7,224, higher than the index's last close of 7,217.4. Hong Kong stocks meanwhile are set to touch new lows for the year, with Hang Seng index futures at 18,522, headed to mark a fifth straight session of losses.

☆ Japan court rules that a bar on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] People including plaintiffs' lawyers hold banners and flags, after the lower court ruled that not allowing same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, outside Nagoya district court, in Nagoya, central Japan, May 30, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. The ruling by the Nagoya District Court was the second to find a ban against same-sex marriage unconstitutional, out of four cases on the issue over the past two years. A Tokyo court later upheld the ban on same-sex marriage but said a lack of legal protection for same-sex families violated their human rights. Though opinion polls show some 70% of the public supports same-sex marriage, the conservative ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida opposes it. Kishida in February sacked an aide who sparked outrage by saying people would flee Japan if same-sex marriage was allowed, but the premier remains noncommittal about it and has said discussions must proceed "carefully".

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