Tokyo District Court orders NHK to disclose recordings of management committee meetings

In a lawsuit over the disclosure of the minutes of NHK's management committee admonishing the then-chairman in connection with a program that featured Japan Post Insurance's inappropriate sales of insurance, the Tokyo District Court ruled that NHK In addition to ordering NHK to disclose the recording data, the court handed down a judgment ordering NHK and the chairman of the management committee to pay compensation.

In 2018, the Japan Post Group filed a complaint with NHK's management committee regarding an NHK program that focused on Japan Post Insurance's inappropriate sales of insurance products, alleging that there was an error in the program's explanation regarding editorial rights. After that, the management committee issued a strict warning to then-Chairman Ueda, demanding that the governance system be thoroughly strengthened.

About 110 people, including university professors emeritus, said that the detailed circumstances should be revealed, and demanded that NHK fully disclose the contents of the management committee meeting at the time and the recorded data. We requested compensation from Shunzo Morishita, chairman of the management committee.

In the ruling on the 20th, Tokyo District Court Chief Judge Takahito Otake said, ``Although there are no other minutes other than those already disclosed, there is no dispute that audio recordings existed at the time. "Unless this is proven, it is recognized that the recording data is still in possession at this point," he said, ordering NHK to disclose the recording data.

The court then ordered NHK and Chairman Morishita to pay 20,000 yen to each plaintiff, stating that ``the recorded data is subject to information disclosure, and they have neglected their obligation to disclose it.''

The plaintiffs held a press conference, and attorney Taiga Sawafuji said, ``This is a groundbreaking ruling.We request that NHK and its management committee make efforts to guarantee impartiality, truth, and autonomy in broadcasting.''

Chairman Morishita commented, ``It is regrettable that the judgment requires the delivery of audio recordings that no longer exist.We will immediately begin the appeal process.''

NHK issued a statement saying, ``We are disappointed that the allegations were not accepted.We will immediately begin the appeal process.''