Twins born in Nevada to a Japanese couple through an American surrogate mother should not be registered as the Japanese children of the couple in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward, the Supreme Court ruled Friday, repealing a high court registry order.
The decision by the top court's No. 2 petty bench finalizes Shinagawa's rejection to register the births of the boys, now aged 3, to TV celebrity Aki Mukai and former professional wrestler Nobuhiko Takada. The children thus do not have Japanese nationality.
The ward was appealing a Tokyo High Court ruling in September that the children be registered for the sake of their welfare. The high court had acknowledged a U.S. court decision that the offspring are linked by blood to the couple and recognized them as the parents.