A couple in western Japan filed a damages suit on Monday against a funeral company for wrapping their son's remains with a disposable plastic shopping bag after an autopsy, saying the action caused them emotional distress.

The parents of Shoya Kitano filed the lawsuit with the Kobe District Court, seeking 2.2 million yen ($19,800) in damages from the firm Heian for treating the body of their 5-month-old son in an improper way.

The boy died suddenly at their home in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, on Oct. 4 last year. The day after the boy's death and following a police autopsy, the couple collected the body of their son from a local police station, according to the complaint.

At home, after they removed the bandages around the head, they discovered that a plastic shopping bag from a convenience store was used in wrapping the head.

Heian, the Kobe-based funeral company, was commissioned by the prefectural police to restore the body. After conducting the autopsy, the local police had judged the incident was not a criminal case.

The couple said they were told by an official of Heian that the use of the plastic bag was to prevent body fluid from leaking.

The boy's 36-year-old mother, Megumi, said at a press conference that they decided to file the lawsuit out of concern that similar practices were being carried out in the funeral business industry.

"We want (them) to rethink the way (the body) is treated," she said.

Heian declined to comment on the suit.