Japanese Public Law Litigation NPO ‘Call4’ Raises Money for Intellectually Disabled Farm Workers Suing over Abuse

By Barrier Free Japan

November 29 2023

Eniwa City, Hokkaido – Three men with intellectual disabilities filed a lawsuit asking the ranch owner’s family and the city to pay a total of approximately 94 million yen in damages, alleging that they were abused at the ranch where they lived and worked for many years (in Eniwa City, Hokkaido). The first hearing was held on the 28th at the Sapporo District Court (presiding judge Yuji Fuse). The defendants, the manager’s family, and the city requested that the claim be dismissed, stating that they were not aware of any abuse.

On Tuesday 1st January 2024, at the Sapporo District Court, the second oral arguments will be heard. The Japanese Public Law Litigation NPO ‘Call4’ is raising money to pay for plaintiff’s legal fees.

The ‘Call4’ fundraising website points out that when the abuse of the three people with intellectual disabilities on the ranch was discovered “it covered up the fact and left it as it was. This seems to have been influenced by the fact that the ranch was run by a former Eniwa City Council member (chairman). This lawsuit seeks to hold Eniwa City responsible for concealing and neglecting the abuse of people with disabilities.”

According to the complaint, all three men are in their 60s and had been living and working at Endo Farm in the same city for 18 to 45 years. As a general rule, there were no days off, and he woke up around 3:30 a.m. and worked from dawn until dusk, milking cows and doing farm work, but he was not paid.

A total of more than 50 million yen had been withdrawn from the bank accounts from which the three people received disability pensions since 2003, but the three people never received the money. The passbook was reportedly managed by the company’s managers.

The three people lived in a private room in a prefabricated hut on the ranch. There was no running water in the hut, and heating was only available in one room. For breakfast, we were provided with rice with hot water and a raw egg. Lunch and dinner included retort curry, which the plaintiff’s lawyers described as “quite simple.”

The complaint also mentioned the city’s responsibility.