Overview
- Justice Minister Yamashita announced the creation of a Ministry of Justice expert study group on Sept. 29 and the panel, chaired by Waseda law professor Keizo Yamamoto, will hold its first meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 30.
- The group will focus on non‑pecuniary (mental or emotional) damages and will review case law to identify clear factors judges should use when setting compensation amounts.
- Members will also debate whether courts should be able to order removal of harmful online posts and whether a wrongdoer’s profits from SNS posts should affect damage calculations.
- The ministry said the study group will not set specific ‘appropriate’ damage sums but will compile 논点 that could be sent to the Legislative Council for possible civil‑code amendments, and the Supreme Court will participate as an observer.
- Campaigners and lawyers say the current civil‑tort rules date to 1896 and often produce low awards that victims call ineffective, so changes could increase remedies for online abuse and alter how long survivors of child sexual abuse can sue.