Two women infected with the hepatitis C virus through tainted blood products told the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday how they suffer with the life-threatening disease.
The testimony by the two women marks the first time plaintiffs in the Tokyo suit have spoken in court since they filed a damages suit against the government and three drug makers in October 2002.
Similar suits filed by 71 hepatitis C sufferers are pending in district courts in Osaka, Fukuoka, Sendai and Nagoya.