December 18, 2012
A former member of the Self-Defense Forces has filed a lawsuit against the government, seeking state compensation for the aftereffects he suffers due to the delay of treatment of a serious injury he had during his deployment to the Iraq war.
The plaintiff is Ikeda Yorimasa, 40, a former member of the communications squadron in the Air SDF Komaki base (Aichi Pref.). On July 4, 2006, he was hit by a U.S. military firm’s bus in the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.
Following U.S. forces medics’ judgment that Ikeda was not injured right after the accident, the SDF failed to give him appropriate treatment and refused to accept his request to return to Japan.
Two months after the accident, Ikeda’s term of deployment was over and he could finally return home. It then took him about a year to receive compensation for injuries. However in 2009, officials of the Central ASDF visited him and urged him to retract the compensation.
Although he accepted their request, the ASDF continued harassments against him, such as transferring him to a section where he had to engage in demanding physical tasks while suffering from the aftereffects of his accident.
In October 2011, Ikeda resigned from the SDF. His medical condition allows him to eat only liquid food. Due to the pain, he has a hard time going to sleep, so he has to take strong sleeping pills every night. He thought of committing suicide many times.
Ikeda decided to file the suit in order for SDF personnel to be able to raise their voices against injustices and to prevent the SDF from abandoning its responsibilities or hiding inconvenient facts, he said.
The plaintiff is Ikeda Yorimasa, 40, a former member of the communications squadron in the Air SDF Komaki base (Aichi Pref.). On July 4, 2006, he was hit by a U.S. military firm’s bus in the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.
Following U.S. forces medics’ judgment that Ikeda was not injured right after the accident, the SDF failed to give him appropriate treatment and refused to accept his request to return to Japan.
Two months after the accident, Ikeda’s term of deployment was over and he could finally return home. It then took him about a year to receive compensation for injuries. However in 2009, officials of the Central ASDF visited him and urged him to retract the compensation.
Although he accepted their request, the ASDF continued harassments against him, such as transferring him to a section where he had to engage in demanding physical tasks while suffering from the aftereffects of his accident.
In October 2011, Ikeda resigned from the SDF. His medical condition allows him to eat only liquid food. Due to the pain, he has a hard time going to sleep, so he has to take strong sleeping pills every night. He thought of committing suicide many times.
Ikeda decided to file the suit in order for SDF personnel to be able to raise their voices against injustices and to prevent the SDF from abandoning its responsibilities or hiding inconvenient facts, he said.
