The Tokyo District Court on Thursday ordered the government to pay ¥4.4 million ($30,850) in damages to a former female journalist who was allegedly sexually assaulted by a now-deceased secretary of a member of the parliament.

Presiding Judge Kokoro Nakamura ordered the payment as the state redress law stipulates that the government is liable for harm caused illegally to others by a national civil servant in the course of their duties. The assailant, who was an aide to Upper House lawmaker Kiyoshi Ueda, was a government-paid secretary.

The former reporter had demanded ¥11 million in damages, saying the late secretary sexually assaulted her in the course of his official duties after he invited her to meet him on the pretext of providing her information. She also argued that Ueda had neglected his duty of care.

The government argued that providing information to reporters was not part of the duties of a state-paid secretary.

According to the complaint, the former journalist was indecently assaulted by the ex-secretary in a taxi and elsewhere in March 2020 while returning from a dinner meeting with Lower House lawmakers that discussed COVID-19 measures.

She was sexually assaulted three days later in a hotel after he called her and made her drink alcohol.

The former secretary was referred to prosecutors that August mainly on suspicion of quasi-forcible sexual intercourse, but the case was dropped after he committed suicide two days later.