The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling ordering Fuji Television Network Inc. to pay 1 million yen in damages to a man named in the broadcaster's coverage of a rape allegation.

The Tokyo-based broadcaster argued in the high court that "broadcasting did not damage (the man's) reputation because newspapers were repeatedly reporting the man as the rapist."

Presiding Judge Yoshinori Ishikawa, however, said, "Given (the magnitude) of the impact of television, which feeds information to passive viewers, broadcasting did impair (the man's) reputation in society."

The man, then a member of a rugby team at Teikyo University in Tokyo, was arrested in January 1998 for allegedly raping a female acquaintance with some other team members at a karaoke booth in Tokyo in November 1997.

The woman, however, reached a negotiated settlement with the men and prosecutors subsequently dropped the case against him.

Fuji Television covered the case through its gossip shows, describing it as a "group rape by the Teikyo University rugby team" and televising the man's name and photo.

In September, the Tokyo District Court ordered Fuji Television to pay 1 million yen in damages to the man. Fuji Television appealed the ruling.

BOJ harassment ruling

OSAKA -- The Osaka High Court upheld Wednesday a lower court decision ordering the Bank of Japan and its former Kyoto branch manager to pay 6.8 million yen in damages over acts of sexual harassment against one of the manager's female officials in 1997.

Presiding Judge Taneomi Otani ruled that the manager, 55, touched the woman's body against her will at a Kyoto club and sent her e-mail messages for a month.

The woman, now 32, filed a 21 million yen damages suit against him with the Kyoto District Court.

In March 2001, the Kyoto District Court ordered the former Kyoto branch manager and the BOJ to pay 6.8 million yen to the woman. The BOJ did not appeal the ruling and paid her about 7.7 million yen in compensation and interest.

The former branch manager appealed.

The high court also rejected an appeal by the woman for more damages. She reportedly suffered hearing difficulties due to shock from the unwanted sexual advances and quit the bank. The former branch manager was admonished in March 1998 and later resigned.