A mom at a club in Kitashinchi, Osaka, accused two people who posted false statements on the internet about comedian Ken Shimura, who died of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus, of having infected him with the coronavirus. In a lawsuit seeking compensation for damages, the Osaka District Court ordered the two to pay 120,000 yen each.
In March, four years ago after comedian Ken Shimura passed away from pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus, Mariko Fujisaki, a mom at a club in Osaka's downtown Kitashinchi, posted on an internet bulletin board, ``Mariko's mom, who infected Ken Shimura with coronavirus. The two people who posted the post filed a lawsuit seeking compensation of approximately 1,260,000 yen each, claiming that the false posts such as "It's true" spread and caused damage to their reputation.
Although Ms. Fujisaki was not infected at the time and did not know Mr. Shimura, she received slanderous messages every day from people who believed her false posts.
In the ruling on the 22nd, Judge Akira Nakao of the Osaka District Court said, ``At that time, the infection of the new coronavirus was spreading, and it was believed that each person should make efforts to prevent it.'' The two men were ordered to pay 120,000 yen each, saying, "This gives the impression that they caused the death of a certain celebrity, and the level of mental suffering is considerable."
Mr. Fujisaki is also suing other posters who made similar posts.