Hundreds of Japanese citizens sue the state, alleging unconstitutional climate inaction as record heat damages health, livelihoods and crops, marking Japan’s first lawsuit seeking compensation from government over climate change.
Hundreds of people across Japan on Thursday (December 18) filed a lawsuit against the central government, accusing it of unconstitutional inaction on climate change in the country’s first legal case of its kind, plaintiffs and lawyers said.
The suit argues that Japan’s efforts to address the climate crisis are extremely inadequate and have put the health and livelihoods of around 450 plaintiffs at risk, according to court documents and statements to AFP.
“We have submitted our complaint and evidence to the court. Our case has been formally accepted,” lead lawyer Akihiro Shima told AFP.
The plaintiffs include construction worker Keiichi Akiyama, who said relentless heat has slowed work and caused major losses to his business.
“There have been cases where people collapsed on site or even died after returning home,” said Akiyama, 57.
Japan recorded its hottest summer this year since records began in 1898. The plaintiffs say intensifying heatwaves are causing economic damage, destroying crops and exposing many people to serious risks of heatstroke.
Akiyama said projects that once took a certain amount of time now require nearly three times longer to complete because of extreme heat.
“I cannot work with a shovel for more than 10 minutes straight. I have to sit down and rest,” he said.
He added that the current situation could have been avoided if the government had acted more decisively to implement climate policies.
Kyoto University associate professor Masako Ichihara said Japanese courts have previously heard five climate-related cases, including lawsuits over coal-fired power plants.
However, Ichihara and the lawyers involved said this is the first case in Japan seeking compensation from the state over climate change.
The complaint states that the defendant’s climate measures are extremely insufficient and, as a result, violate the plaintiffs’ rights to a peaceful life and a stable climate, according to the filing.
The case marks a new chapter in climate litigation in Japan as citizens seek to hold the government legally accountable for its response to the escalating climate crisis, the plaintiffs said.
