Reiwa 5 (Wa) No. 2913, Claim for Injunction against Online Article Publication, etc.

In 2023, a Zainichi Korean resident filed a lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court demanding the removal of online articles that allegedly targeted him with racist slurs and false criminal accusations. The defendant, a website operator, had published multiple posts labeling the plaintiff a "criminal foreigner" and inciting harassment. The plaintiff sought an injunction against further publication and damages for emotional distress, arguing that the content constituted illegal hate speech and defamation under Japanese law.

The Tokyo District Court partially granted the injunction, ordering the removal of articles found to be defamatory and discriminatory, but dismissed a broader prior restraint request. The defendant was ordered to pay a moderate amount in damages. An appeal is currently pending.

The core dispute was the boundary between constitutionally protected freedom of expression and the prohibition of unlawful discrimination and defamation. The case examined whether the impugned articles qualified as hate speech that exceeded the limits of acceptable public commentary, and whether the plaintiff was sufficiently identifiable to sustain a defamation claim.

The ruling was widely reported as a significant judicial stance against online hate speech targeting ethnic minorities in Japan. It spurred renewed parliamentary debate on anti-discrimination legislation and prompted several major internet platforms to voluntarily strengthen their content moderation policies for hateful material against Zainichi Koreans.