Hundreds of people across Japan yesterday sued the central government, seeking damages for “unconstitutional” inaction on climate change in the country’s first such litigation.
The landmark lawsuit criticizes Japan’s “grossly inadequate” fight against the climate crisis, saying it jeopardizes the health and livelihoods of the approximately 450 plaintiffs.
“We just submitted our complaint and evidence to the court and our lawsuit has been officially accepted,” lead lawyer Akihiro Shima said.
Photo: AFP
Plaintiff Kiichi Akiyama, a construction worker, said that relentless heat forced his team to work slower, causing “huge losses” to his business.
There have also been cases where “people collapse out in the field, or have dropped dead after they return home,” the 57-year-old said.
Five climate-related lawsuits have previously been filed with Japanese courts, including against coal-fired power plants, Kyoto University assistant professor Masako Ichihara said.
However, Ichihara — as well as lawyers working on the suit — say yesterday’s suit is the first compensation claim against the state over climate change.
“The defendant’s climate change measures are grossly inadequate, and as a result, the plaintiffs’ rights to a peaceful life and to the enjoyment of a stable climate are being violated,” the complaint summary says.
This year, Japan sweltered through its hottest summer since records began in 1898, and the plaintiffs argue that such heat waves cause economic losses, ruin crops and put many at risk of crippling heatstroke.
Akiyama, who frequently works outside in the searing heat, said it now takes his team triple the estimated time to finish their projects.
“I can barely dig with a shovel for 10 minutes without sitting down to rest,” he added. “We wouldn’t be in this terrible situation if the government had taken more initiative in implementing policies.”
Similar legal moves are under way globally, including in South Korea where young environmental activists won the first such case in Asia.
Last year, a South Korean court ruled that much of the country’s climate goals were unconstitutional. In Germany, climate targets were also ruled insufficient and unconstitutional in 2021.
The suit in Japan is seeking ￥1,000 (US$6.42)in damages per plaintiff.
Shima said plaintiffs wanted to focus on “the issue of the country’s responsibility” rather than on money.
Japan’s case is bolder than previous lawsuits in the country in that it seeks to directly hold the state accountable for climate inaction, Ichihara said.
Chances of a legal win are slim, but “if the purpose ... is to raise public awareness, then it may succeed” because of its “very relatable” messaging, she said.
Another plaintiff, who only gave her surname, Saito, was spurred into action by concerns over her six-year-old son.
She said that record temperatures were robbing him of opportunities to play outdoors, with public pools sometimes declared off-limits due to heatstroke alerts.
“Not just in pools, but playing outside generally is becoming difficult in summer. The playground equipment is burning hot and that scares me,” Saito said.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara declined to comment directly on the lawsuit, but said the country had approved “ambitious” emissions reduction targets that were compatible with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal.
Japan’s nationally determined contributions aspire to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent by 2035 and 73 percent by 2040 compared with 2013 levels.
However, yesterday’s lawsuit criticizes the latest targets, saying they “fall significantly short” of the global reduction aims outlined by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
They are also not legally binding, the complaint summary says.
“This legislative omission is unmistakably unconstitutional,” it adds.
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS