Courts again declare Japan’s ban on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional.

The nation’s current ban was declared “unconstitutional” this week by judges in Tokyo and Sapporo, following in the footsteps of earlier historic rulings.

According to decisions made in several cases, the ban violated the rights of the people.

Activists applauded the convictions but cautioned that politicians would still need to take the historic step of legalizing same-sex unions.

As of right now, Japan is the only nation that does not completely acknowledge same-sex relationships or provide them with explicit legal protection. However, Taiwan is the only country in Asia that permits same-sex unions, so it is not an anomaly.