Tokyo Residents Sue Over Daycare Kids Being Noisy
A judge has thrown out a lawsuit against a daycare brought by residents of Nerima who claimed the kids’ noisiness violated their rights.
By Marin Akasaka
According to Tokyo Shimbun, a lawsuit filed by residents of Nerima Ward, Tokyo, was dismissed by the Supreme Court. The residents claimed that noise from children at a newly established daycare center disrupted their peaceful living environment and violated their rights by…being children. The case highlights a long-running tension in Japan between the desire to combat population decline and people who just don’t seem to like children.
Case thrown out
On October 23, the Third Petty Bench of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Eriko Watanabe, upheld the lower court rulings from the first and second trials. This decision confirms the residents’ loss in their case against Nihon Hoiku Service, the daycare operator based in Nagoya, and others.
The first-instance Tokyo District Court ruling in June 2020 found that noise levels occasionally exceeded national standards for about two years after the daycare opened in April 2007. However, the…
