The Tokyo District Court on Thursday nullified a government decision to deny disability pensions to two mentally ill men who had not joined the state pension program after reaching age 20.
The plaintiffs, aged 45 and 37, were diagnosed as schizophrenic after turning 20 in 1981 and 1988, respectively, while they were university students. Their applications for disability pensions were rejected on the grounds that they were not eligible to receive them.
The National Pension Law stipulates that those who have had initial medical examinations before age 20, the legal age of adulthood, are eligible for benefits even if they have not joined the pension program.
The court ruled Thursday that exceptions should be made to the provision, given that some schizophrenic patients are hesitant to see a doctor.
"There is a need to expand the interpretation of the provision in cases where an applicant has been suffering from a condition that requires medical examination, even though he or she has not visited a doctor," presiding Judge Tasuku Daimon said.
He ruled that such a broad interpretation should be applied to the two plaintiffs.
The two men did not join the national pension scheme because participation was not mandatory for university students aged 20 or older at the time they were students.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.