The Tokyo District Court ordered the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and three members of its assembly Thursday to give 12 teachers at a school for students with special needs about ¥2.1 million in compensation for intervening in a sex education class in 2003.
According to the court, the teachers at the city-run special education school in the western suburb of Hino had developed unique teaching methods for mentally disabled students, including using dolls, so they could comprehend the lesson.
But the legislators and board of education were critical after observing the class, saying it was "too extreme."
The metro assemblymen involved were Hiroshi Tashiro, Takayuki Tsuchiya and Toshiaki Koga.
Presiding Judge Wataru Yao ruled that the reprimands imposed on the teachers for their "extreme" sex education "notably lacks in appropriateness," and ordered the defendants to pay ¥200,000 each to 10 of the 12 teachers.
The court also ruled that the assembly members "damaged the reputations of the teachers" by criticizing the contents of the class during the inspection and ordered them to pay ¥50,000 each to the other two teachers.
A total of 31 plaintiffs, male and female, had sought about ¥30 million in damages in the trial. They also sued the daily Sankei Shimbun for reporting on the sex education class, but that case was dismissed.