The Supreme Court turned down a damages claim Friday filed by a Tokyo pharmaceutical company employee who sued the firm for transferring him to Nagoya, separating him from his family.
Kawaguchi, his wife, Hisako, and their three children were named in the suit as plaintiffs against Teikoku Hormone Mfg. Co. Kawaguchi was transferred to Nagoya in 1985, which led him to live apart from his family in Tokyo for six years.
Kawaguchi claimed the company violated his basic human rights to raise his children and demanded 30 million yen in damages from the firm.
However, Judge Hiroharu Kitagawa upheld a May 1996 Tokyo High Court ruling that the family's inconvenience falls within socially acceptable levels. The lower court ruling "is acceptable as legitimate," Kitagawa said.
In September 1993, the Tokyo District Court ruled that the company's transfer order was not unreasonable, and transportation between Nagoya and Tokyo is relatively convenient. The court also said the firm took appropriate support steps, such as providing company housing.