Japan Press Weekly

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2013 March 27 - April 2 [CIVIL RIGHTS]

State appeals court decision allowing adult wards to recover voting right

The central government on March 27 appealed a decision of the Tokyo District Court that ruled unconstitutional a provision in the Public Offices Election Law denying the right to vote to adults who live under the adult guardianship system.

In the lawsuit filed by a 50-year-old woman who lives under the guardianship of her father, the court ruled on March 14 in favor of the plaintiff, stating, “It cannot be said that adult wards all lack the ability to exercise their right to vote.”

Hearing the news of the appeal, Nagoya Seikichi, the plaintiff’s 81-year-old father, said, “I feel deep resentment against the administration for trying to delay resolving this problem. They should return the voting right immediately to those who deserve it, and then start discussions to revise the law.”

The previous day, the plaintiff’s lawyers group held a press conference and said, “The state should not take the case to a higher court in a bid to stall for time.”

Related past article:
> Depriving adult who live under guardianship program of their suffrage is unconstitutional: Court [March 15, 2013]