51吃瓜网

Sapporo – A Sapporo court on Friday ordered the government to pay ?1.1 million in damages to the mother of a Ground Self-Defense Force member who died by suicide in 2012.

In the lawsuit filed with the Sapporo District Court, the mother of the 19-year-old GSDF member and three other bereaved relatives demanded a total of about ?100 million in damages from the Japanese government.

They claimed that Kawashima, who was stationed at the GSDF’s Camp Shiraoi in Hokkaido, took his own life because appropriate measures were not taken against bullying, mainly by one older officer.

Presiding Judge Shusei Moriyama turned down the claim of bullying while acknowledging the government’s responsibility over the mental distress Kawashima experienced, ordering the damages payment to his mother. The damages claims by the other three were dismissed.

The plaintiffs plan to appeal the ruling.

According to the ruling, Kawashima died by suicide at Camp Shiraoi in October 2012.

The plaintiffs claimed that he had been verbally abused, being told to “die” and “quit,” and physically assaulted.

Moriyama said, however, that “there is no clear evidence to determine” that bullying had actually occurred.

Still, the judge acknowledged the government’s partial responsibility for failing to fulfill its obligation of sharing necessary information, such as instructing older officers not to yell loudly, although Kawashima was suffering from insomnia and his condition was worsening due to accumulated mental distress from interactions with them.

In response to the ruling, Kazutomo Idogawa, chief of the GSDF’s Northern Army, said, “We think that the government’s argument was not understood by the court.”