Woman sues Hokkaido gov't for not giving benefits to same-sex couples

A woman in a same-sex relationship filed a damages suit Wednesday against her former employer the Hokkaido government and a mutual aid association seeking 4.8 million yen ($43,000) for being denied spousal benefits.Kaoru Sasaki, 51, filed the lawsuit with the Sapporo District Court, arguing that not paying family benefits to same-sex couples violates the guarantee of equality under the Constitution.According to the suit, Sasaki applied for spousal benefits in July 2018 and April 2019, while still a prefectural employee, submitting a document recognizing her partnership issued by the Sapporo…READ FULL ARTICLE