This past month, two older men have learned the hard way that saying racist things online is just as awful as saying them in public.
On May 12, a 68-year-old man in Oita Prefecture was ordered by the Tokyo High Court to pay ¥1.3 million in damages to 18-year-old Neo Nakane of Kanagawa Prefecture for racist remarks the Oita man made on his blog three years ago. Nakane, who was in junior high school at the time, pressed charges against the man for remarks made about him and his mother, who is ethnic Korean.
Last year, the man had been ordered to pay ¥910,000 for defamation of character. Nakane and his attorneys appealed, and the Tokyo High Court moved up the stakes in Nakane's favor.
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.