Reflections on the Human Condition - Api-fellowships.org

394 SESSION VI
Table 2: Chronology of Activities of Japanese Civil Society.
Activities Organization Outcome or Later Situation
1990: Requested information on school budget. Mihariban
(Watchdog)
1993: Legal Revision
Amended court fee for shareholder suit from ‘based on size of damages sought’ to ‘fixed at 8,200 yen’.
(Shareholders turning to lawsuits to assure executive accountability Code Change Lowers Filing Charges; 84 Suits Pending, the Nikkei Weekly
(Japan) May 9, 1994)
Dec. 1994: Filed a shareholder’s lawsuit against three
companies, construction giant Obayashi Corp., Kansai Electric
Power Co., and Osaka Gas Co., in order to block political
contributions.
1995 (?): Filed lawsuit to claim damages for Aichi Prefecture
and Nagoya City from private firms for bid-rigging case in
1993.
Jan. 1996: Founded at Osaka in order to exercise common
shareholders’ legal rights, including making proposals and filing
shareholder suits. It also monitors corporate activities, using
lawsuits when necessary to force disclosure of information.
March-April 1996: Requested the Aichi Prefecture to release
information about business trips and the entertainment
expenses of the auditing panel secretariat.
April 1996: Filed lawsuit to require the Aichi Prefecture release
the information about business trips and the entertainment
expenses of the auditing panel secretariat.
June 1996 (Sumitomo Corporation Case): Asked about the
former president’s responsibility for illegal trade, submitted the
case to Osaka District Court to cancel “Shan Shan” meeting
and submitted derivative suit against Sumitomo’s directors for
responsibility on losses.
October 1996: Requested the Miyagi prefectural government
to disclose information related to food expenditures for the
police during a police conference.
December 1996, Filed lawsuit to demand information on food
expenditures.
1996: Requested information on business meal expenses of
Kitakyushu and then filed lawsuit to demand reimbursement
of business meal expenses.
Civic Ombudsman
(Osaka-based)
Nagoya
Ombudsman
Kabunushi
Ombudsman
Nagoya
Ombudsman
Kazuyoshi Yuoka,
later joining
Kabunushi
Ombudsman
Ref lections on the Human Condition: Change, Conflict and Modernity
The Work of the 2004/2005 API Fellows
The court ordered the firms to pay.
The Aichi Prefecture rejected on the grounds of
protecting the privacy of the people involved.
March 1997: The Nagoya District Court ordered the
Aichi Prefecture government to make public its data
about business trips and the entertainment expenses
of the auditing panel secretariat.
Sendai Ombudsman The prefecture refused.
45 Citizens and Civil
Ombudsman
In April 1998, the district court turned down the
Ombudsman’s demand but the Sendai High Court
overturned a lower court decision on Mar. 17 and
ordered the Miyagi prefectural government to disclose
documents on expenditures of the prefectural police
and assembly; therefore in April 2000, the Sendai
District Court ordered the prefecture to reveal most
of the information on the expenses.
In Mar 2001, the Fukuoka District Court ordered
the mayor and 70 city officials to repay the excess
business meal expenses.