Overview
- The Fukuoka District Court, which on Tuesday proposed a settlement recognizing hepatitis B as the cause of a man’s kidney disease, set damages at ¥36 million and allowed a net claim of about ¥24.44 million after prior payments.
- Government lawyers rejected the court’s proposal during the hearing, so the lawsuit will continue toward a binding judgment.
- The plaintiff, a 64-year-old man in Oita Prefecture infected during group vaccinations that reused syringes, received ¥12.5 million in a 2012 settlement for chronic hepatitis and began dialysis in 2014.
- He sued in 2016 seeking the same compensation as severe liver cases, arguing an immune response to hepatitis B led to progressive kidney failure.
- Plaintiff attorneys say this is the first time a court has signaled relief for HBV-related kidney disease, a shift that could widen claims under the special payout program that now covers only liver conditions.