The Fukuoka District Court ruled Friday that the government should not have denied disability allowances to a 39-year-old man in Fukuoka Prefecture who did not enter the state pension program after turning 20 when he was a student, but rejected his claim for 20 million yen in damages.
The court nullified the state's decision not to pay the plaintiff on the grounds that the man had shown signs of disability when he was still a minor. But the court avoided taking a position on whether the government's decision was unconstitutional.
The plaintiff, who was diagnosed with symptoms equivalent to early signs of disability before he was 20 years old, "is qualified to receive" disability benefits, presiding Judge Yasuji Isshi said.