A family court in Hyogo Prefecture has rejected a couple's request to register twin babies they had via an American surrogate mother, the husband said Saturday.
The husband, whose name is being withheld to protect the couple's privacy, said the court dismissed the request on the grounds that his wife did not provide eggs or give birth to the twins. The court ruled that this makes it "impossible" for her to be recognized as their legal mother, he said.
The husband and wife, both in their 50s, had asked the court to nullify a local government decision to reject a birth report they submitted in January to register the twins as their children.
The couple plans to appeal to the Osaka High Court, the husband said.