The Nagoya District Court on Friday ordered the Nagoya city board of education to allow the All Japan Teachers and Staff Union to use a city education center for a meeting.
An Aichi Prefecture unit of the national union hailed the decision, saying it rebukes the city for bowing to pressure by rightist groups that regularly disrupt such meetings due partly to the national union's strong emphasis on education based on pacifist ideals.
"We'd like to praise the decision severely censuring the stance taken by the administration, which bowed to a rightist group opposed to the meeting," said an official of the Aichi school union, which has sought to rent the venue on behalf of the national union.
Yukio Kato, the court's presiding judge, said in the ruling that planned protests by a rightist group around the center -- the board's reason for revoking the rental permit -- are to be expected.