Three years ago, the government ordered a university professor in Kobe City, who requested the disclosure of information regarding the cloth masks distributed by the government as a countermeasure against the new coronavirus, to disclose materials that show the order price per mask, etc. Osaka region Regarding the judgment of the court, it turned out that the judgment was finalized without the country appealing.
Three years ago, the government spent about 26 billion yen to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, distributing 120 million cloth masks in total, two to each household nationwide. Professor Hiroyuki Uewaki of Kobe Gakuin University delivered them We requested information disclosure from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, etc. for materials that show the selection process of the contractor.
However, the unit price and the number of orders for each supplier were blacked out on the grounds that it would interfere with future price negotiations, so the validity of the policy could not be verified, and it was disclosed to the government, claiming that it was unreasonable. Last month, the Osaka District Court ordered the government to disclose it, pointing out that ``the government is accountable for the use of taxes for goods purchased by the government under a free contract.''
Regarding this ruling, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare consulted with the relevant ministries and agencies and decided not to appeal by the 14th deadline.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said, "We would like to respond appropriately based on the judgment regarding the disclosure of administrative documents."
Plaintiff "Announce unit price and quantity and verify"
The plaintiff, Professor Hiroyuki Kamiwaki of Kobe Gakuin University, said, "The government's decision not to disclose the information was too insane. What is now required of the government is to announce the unit price and quantity to the Diet and the public, It is necessary to properly verify the policy that distributed cloth masks."