A court in northern Japan on Friday ruled against the removal by police officers of hecklers from the site of a 2019 stump speech by then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Sapporo.
The Sapporo District Court ordered the Hokkaido government to pay a total of 880,000 yen ($7,200) to two citizens, saying the police action infringed the freedom of expression guaranteed under the Constitution.
The plaintiffs, Masae Osugi, 34, and Kio Momoi, 26, had demanded a total of 6.6 million yen in compensation.
Presiding Judge Takashi Hirose said the situation was not life-threatening or posing a risk of physical harm, based on video taken at the scene. He also said the police actions exceeded their authority granted to prevent crimes.
According to the ruling, Osugi and Momoi shouted "Step down, Abe" and "No tax hike" when Abe was delivering a campaign speech around JR Sapporo Station on July 15, 2019, for a House of Councillors election.
Police officers surrounded Osugi and Momoi and forced them to move to the back of the crowd. Momoi was followed by a police officer for a while.
"I am happy that the ruling clearly states the removal was unjust," Osugi said.
Abe's office said it is not planning to release any statement or speak to the media over the court decision due to his tight schedule.
The Hokkaido police said they will thoroughly go over the ruling and decide their response.
Osugi and Momoi filed lawsuits with the district court in December 2019 and February 2020, respectively.
The court granted payments of 330,000 yen for Osugi and 550,000 yen for Momoi.
They had filed criminal complaints against police officers, but prosecutors made a no-indictment decision.
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