A court in Tokyo has ordered the metropolitan government to pay damages over the death of a Nepalese man six years ago. The man fell unconscious during questioning by Tokyo prosecutors, then died soon after.
The Tokyo District Court ordered the Tokyo government to pay about 1 million yen, or around 7,500 dollars, to the family of the 39-year-old man. The court said there were faults in the handling of the case by officials at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
The family had sued the Tokyo and central governments for compensation, saying the man died due to inappropriate physical restraint by the Tokyo police and prosecutors.
The court ruling pointed out that Tokyo police officials failed to take necessary measures, such as letting the man get appropriate treatment, although his physical condition changed after his restraint was removed.
The man was arrested in March 2017 for allegedly possessing a credit card that belonged to someone else. He was later sent to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office and questioned there.