Nagoya court dismisses lawsuit filed on paper under digital civil litigation rules
The lawsuit was thrown out by the Nagoya District Court under rules requiring legal representatives to submit civil court documents online.
The Nagoya District Court has dismissed a lawsuit filed on paper, deeming the filing improper under Japan's digital civil litigation system, according to sources. Presiding Judge Ryo Kaiami ruled on October 1 without holding oral arguments. The amended legislation requiring digitalization of civil court proceedings took effect in May.
While individuals can still submit documents on paper, lawyers acting as legal representatives must file online. The court found the lawsuit "procedurally improper because it failed to comply with the prescribed filing method." The lawyer claimed a computer malfunction was the reason for filing on paper, but the judge ruled this amounted to a failure to maintain necessary equipment, stating the lawyer could have used another device.
The lawyer filed the lawsuit in August on behalf of an Aichi Prefecture man seeking to overturn an administrative decision by the local government. The lawyer told the district court he could not withdraw the lawsuit as the deadline for challenging the administrative decision was approaching.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
