Photo: Press

A judge has ruled that Japanese pop stars cannot legally be banned from dating, in what has been called a "historic legal victory."

An unnamed singer was sued by her management for 9.9 million yen (around 60,000 pounds) after violating a "no dating" clause in her contract - one which is common amongst the J-pop world in order to pander to the "legions of male fans [who believe] that they might one day stand a chance with their fantasy woman."

The singer signed a contract which included the 'no dating' clause back in 2012, but on Monday, Judge Kotsuya Hara threw out the case, saying, "We have to admit that forbidding pop idols to date by claiming compensation for damage goes too far."

Back in 2013, Minami Minegishi, member of hugely popular girl band AKB48, spent the night with her boyfriend. She subsequently posted a tearful apology video on YouTube, in which she appeared with a shaved head - a traditional act of contrition in Japan.