A Tokyo High Court ruling that the government and another defendant pay damages to the family of a Maritime Self-Defense Force seaman who committed suicide became final on Thursday after the deadline for appeal expired.
The court's ruling on April 23 sharply raised the amount of damages to ¥73 million from the ¥4.4 million set earlier by a lower court, after the MSDF submitted previously undisclosed documents on its investigation of the suicide.
The documents indicated that the seaman had been bullied by an MSDF officer. The high court said his death could have been prevented if supervisors had dealt with the case properly and taken appropriate action against the abusing officer.