The Tokyo District Court on March 14 declared unconstitutional a provision in the Public Offices Election Law that takes away the right to vote from adults who have had guardians chosen for them.

It thus affirmed the right to vote for Ms. Takumi Nagoya, a 50-year-old woman from Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, who has Down's syndrome and midlevel intellectual disabilities. Instead of appealing the ruling to a higher court, the government should revise the law in accordance with the ruling.

The adult guardianship system was introduced in 2000, mainly to assist people who have dementia or intellectual disabilities with the management of their property.