The Tokyo District Court rejected a request for refugee...

The Tokyo District Court rejected a request for refugee status from a gay Iranian man who claimed that his homosexuality would be grounds for the death penalty if he was sent back to his homeland.
It was the first case taken by a Japanese court dealing with a person who had sought refugee status citing homosexuality.
The court said the 40-year-old man's sexual orientation was not grounds enough to grant refugee status.
"In Iran, he has been concealing his homosexuality. Therefore, the possibility is slight that he would be persecuted at home," presiding judge Yosuke Ichimura said.
The man came to Japan in 1991 because of fears that he would be persecuted in his native country, according to court documents.