Fridae

Tokyo District Court has ordered Kofu city councillor Hiromi Muramatsu to pay novelist Li Kotomi ¥1.1 million for violating her privacy. The judgment was handed down on 29 October, following a case over sensitive personal information shared on social media.

For Li, the result brought relief rather than joy. In a statement published that day, she said the proceedings had lasted a year and four months. Her work was writing novels for readers; instead, she had been spending time preparing statements for court.

Jiji Press reported that the judge found the information required a high degree of confidentiality and there was no reasonable justification for disclosing it. The case concerned posts made in May 2024. Li had sought ¥5.5 million in damages.

The court did not grant her request for an order prohibiting further disclosures, according to CNA’s report citing Kyodo. It considered that finding Muramatsu liable for damages could itself have a deterrent effect. Muramatsu said she would discuss her response with her lawyer.

Li also asked readers to respect her own description of herself: her gender identity is female. She described the conduct at issue as harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

She said she did not intend to appeal, but was prepared to take further legal action if Muramatsu did. What she wanted was time to concentrate on her work and get her words to readers.