The Tokyo District Court on Friday ordered the government of Senegal to pay some 11.73 million yen to a firm that manufactured T-shirts and other items to support the African nation's team in the World Cup soccer finals last year.
The Hachioji branch of the district court ruled that the Senegal government, which made no appearances in court despite being summoned and did not submit any documents explaining its position in the case, was not going to contest the claims.
According to the ruling, a planning firm based in the western Tokyo suburb of Hachioji reached agreement with the Senegalese Embassy to procure items, including 5,000 T-shirts and 6,000 caps, for Senegal supporters who were expected to come to Japan to support their team.
The contract, worth 24.8 million yen, was signed April 19, 2002, and the goods were delivered the following month.
The embassy has paid only 13.1 million yen of the amount.
The suit was filed in September. After the Senegalese side did not appear in court for two hearings, the court closed the case, determining that it had no intention of contesting the claims.
Tadashi Inoue, the president of the firm, said he hopes to collect the money as soon as possible, because business is bad. He added that he hopes to use channels such as the Foreign Ministry and FIFA, the international soccer body, to contact the Senegalese.
Senegal, making its World Cup debut in the 2002 finals cohosted by Japan and South Korea, defeated defending champions France in their first-round match and advanced to the quarterfinals.