A Japanese court has issued an injunction ordering Google Inc. to remove Internet search results that include reports of a man's arrest, court documents showed Thursday.
The Saitama District Court order dated June 25 said the man, who was convicted of violating the child prostitution law, had sought the removal, claiming his personal rights were being infringed upon, as past news reports of his arrest appear when he searches his name and address on Google three years after his arrest. He was fined ¥500,000 over the case, in a summary order.
Google, which has argued that removing the search results would infringe upon the freedom of expression and the right to know, is expected to appeal the order.
The latest order follows a decision by the Tokyo District Court in October 2014 that ordered Google to remove information on a man involved in a crime, on the grounds it infringed on his privacy rights.
The latest case, the Saitama court said the man's crime was "relatively minor and has no historic or social significance," and there was no need to continue showing the search results.
The court also said the man's social life had been disrupted and his right to seek to rehabilitate without inhibition had been infringed upon, but it recognized that search engines serve the public's right to know.