Japan court rejects long-stay visa for gay U.S. man married to Japanese

TOKYO, Sep 30 (Kyodo) - A Japanese court on Friday upheld the denial of a long-term residence visa to an American man who married his same-sex Japanese partner in the United States.

The Tokyo District Court also rejected damages of 1.1 million yen ($76,000) sought by the U.S. national, Andrew High, and his Japanese partner, Kohei, who claimed the denial of the visa impinged on their freedom to live as a family. The Japanese man has requested his family name be withheld.

The two married in 2015, and High has applied unsuccessfully for a Japanese long-term visa five times since 2018. He currently resides in Japan on a temporary visa. ...continue reading