Dhaka, Nov. 30 -- A Tokyo court upheld a ban on same-sex marriage on Wednesday but said a lack of legal protection for same-sex families violated their human rights, a comment welcomed by plaintiffs as a step towards aligning Japan with other G7 nations.

Japan is the only G7 nation that does not allow same-sex marriage, and its constitution defines marriage as based on the mutual consent of both sexes.

Although Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's ruling party has revealed no plans yet to review the matter or propose changes, several senior members support same-sex marriage, reports Reuters.

In Wednesday's ruling, the Tokyo district court said the ban was constitutional, but added that the absence of a legal system to protect same-sex famili...