Osaka High Court upholds dismissal of bullying lawsuit by schoolgirl with developmental disability

From ABC News via Yahoo! Japan

July 9 2026

OSAKA – The Osaka High Court has upheld a lower court ruling dismissing a lawsuit filed by a young woman with a developmental disability and her mother, who sought damages from the city of Sakai and others. They argued that although the girl had been bullied by classmates while attending a municipal elementary school in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, until 2019 (when she was in the fourth grade), the school and other authorities failed to respond appropriately.

According to the complaint and a report by a third-party committee established by the city, the young woman, now a high school student, attended a municipal elementary school in Sakai. Between her third and fourth grades (2018–2019), she was bullied by classmates, who blacked out her name in a shared notebook and stuffed small stones and other objects into her shoes. She eventually stopped attending school and later transferred to another school.

The girl had been diagnosed with a developmental disorder (ADHD) in 2017 and had experienced repeated difficulties in interpersonal relationships. The lawsuit alleged that the school failed to provide support tailored to the characteristics of her developmental disability and lacked sufficient awareness of the bullying, failing to take adequate preventive measures. In 2022, she and her mother filed suit seeking ¥1.65 million in damages from Sakai City and the classmates involved.

In 2024, the plaintiffs reached a settlement with the classmates, but not with Sakai City. In its first-instance ruling issued last September, the Sakai branch of the Osaka District Court dismissed the lawsuit, finding that “the teachers investigated the bullying and took measures to prevent its recurrence while taking into account the plaintiff’s developmental disability characteristics.”

The plaintiffs appealed, but in its ruling on the 9th, the Osaka High Court upheld the lower court’s decision, stating that “the teachers addressed the plaintiff’s issues by seeking guidance and advice from specialists,” and dismissed the appeal.

Following the ruling, the young woman’s mother told reporters, “I simply cannot accept this judgment. I want the judiciary to gain a much deeper understanding of education for children with disabilities,” adding that they are also considering filing a final appeal with the Supreme Court.