Yokohama Couple Files Damages Lawsuit: Police Officers Enter Visually Impaired Person’s Home Without Permission

Extract from The Tokyo Shimbun

April 9 2025

YOKOHAMA – In the appeal trial of a lawsuit where a visually impaired couple residing in Isogo Ward, Yokohama City, is seeking damages from the prefectural police, alleging that police officers entered their home without permission, the prefectural police have newly asserted that “(even without sight) the movements of police officers can be understood by the sounds of their equipment.”

Supporters of the plaintiffs and individuals with similar experiences are protesting this claim, stating, “To say that everything can be understood by sound shows a lack of understanding of visual impairment.” They have submitted a written opinion to the Tokyo High Court, hoping for communication without prejudice.

The Yokohama District Court’s first trial ruling in March of last year recognized that police officers from the Isogo Police Station entered the couple’s home without consent during a questioning in October 2019. It ruled that the prefectural government had failed to provide reasonable accommodation as stipulated by the Act on the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities and ordered the prefecture to pay 275,000 yen in compensation. The prefectural police have appealed this ruling, and the legal battle continues.

Initially, the wife, who has severe low vision, was responding to the questioning at the entrance. However, her fully blind husband, considering the surrounding residents, urged the officers to come inside the entrance. At that point, four police officers entered as far as the living room. The couple described the situation at the time, saying, “We couldn’t even tell how many police officers were where, and we have absolutely no memory of any sounds.”

The wife, who also has a hearing impairment and a disability certificate for it, recalled, “I was scared that the police officers had entered the room without me even noticing.”