Iga City in Japan says it must turn down a same-sex couple’s marriage filing, despite having asked the national legal authorities whether it could accept it.

In a statement dated 21 October, the mayor said the city had kept the paperwork instead of rejecting it at the counter. It referred the matter to the Tsu District Legal Affairs Bureau on 19 August.

The bureau’s reply, dated 15 September, said marriage registrations must be handled uniformly across Japan and that the couple’s filing could not be accepted. Iga has published the reply alongside the mayor’s statement.

The mayor apologised for being unable to protect the couple’s rights under the current interpretation. Refusing their filing did not mean denying their relationship or dignity, the statement said.

The city says it will provide written reasons and a certificate of non-acceptance, and tell the couple they can challenge the decision in family court.

The mayor called for national legislation allowing same-sex marriage, so people could become a family with the person they love under legal protection.