The Tokyo Metropolitan Government on Monday sued the operator of a pro-Pyongyang elementary school for using Tokyo-owned land without a valid contract for more than 13 years.
In the suit filed with the Tokyo District Court, the metropolitan government wants to force Tokyo Chosen Gakuen to vacate 4,100 sq. meters of land owned by the Tokyo Port Authority and pay about 400 million yen in past rent.
The Tokyo government says it allowed the school in Koto Ward to use the land free of charge for 20 years starting in 1970, but the contract expired in spring 1990.
No full-fledged negotiations followed the contract's expiration, according to Tokyo authorities.
However, talks between the school's operator and the Port and Harbor Bureau were started after Tokyo audit commissioners in October advised Gov. Shintaro Ishihara to address the situation.
The school requested that Tokyo authorities sell or lease the land to it at a cheap price, saying the area surrounding the school carries historical significance. According to the school, Japanese authorities in the prewar days forced Korean natives to live in that area.
The two parties, however, failed to agree over the price.
A bureau official said the lawsuit was filed because it appears unlikely the two sides can reach an agreement through dialogue.
School officials said the metropolitan government's actions were regrettable, and that they would discuss the matter with lawyers after studying the lawsuit.