Japan government ordered to pay damages over transgender toilet ban
TOKYO: A Tokyo court on Thursday (Dec 12) ordered the Japanese government to pay compensation to a t..
TOKYO: A Tokyo court on Thursday (Dec 12) ordered the Japanese government to pay compensation to a transgender official who was refused use of the women's bathroom at work.
"The Tokyo district court ordered the accused to pay 1.3 million yen (US$12,000) in damages," a court spokesman told AFP.
Advertisement
Advertisement
"The court also ordered the government to let the official use the women's bathroom freely, by removing the requirement that she notify female employees she is transgender," the spokesman said.
The official who joined the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as a man and now lives as a woman filed suit in 2015, demanding 16.5 million yen in damages over claims she was banned from using the women's bathroom, local media said.
It is believed to be Japan's first case involving damages over the work environment for transgender people.
The government reportedly argued that it limited the official's use of the women's bathroom because it "could not set aside concerns she could harm female staff."