The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Fukuoka authorities acted illegally to cut a family's welfare benefits because it had saved some of the aid for a daughter's education fund.
Although the top court dismissed the family's demand for compensation for the amount deducted from their benefits, their lawyers hailed the ruling as a landmark decision that cautions against rigid restrictions on how welfare recipients use the money.
In response to the ruling, a Fukuoka welfare office that had handled the family's case said it would review its 1990 decision to cut their benefits.