The House of Councilors voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt the first-ever petition on a complaint against the administrative branch, by a man asking police to account for the 1993 death of his 65-year-old sister who he says was run over by a car.
The petition will be sent to the Cabinet, which is not obliged to follow through on it, although it's handling of the matter will be reported to the Upper House.
The man claims his sister died due to a hit-and-run accident in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, while police concluded she fell down on the street and died from an illness.
The Upper House set up the Committee on Oversight of Administration in 1998. One of the tasks of the committee is to handle petitions on administrative complaints from people who believe their rights or interests have been infringed on through improper administrative services.
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