A former posts and telecommunications minister is suing the government to stop the dispatch of the Self-Defense Forces to Iraq, claiming it violates the Constitution and the people's right to live in peace.
Noboru Minowa, 79, filed the suit Wednesday with the Sapporo District Court. It is the first legal action against the controversial troop dispatch.
Backed by a team of 106 lawyers, Minowa, who also served as parliamentary vice defense minister, is seeking 10,000 yen in consolation money from the government as part of the suit.