Japan Subsidy Withdrawal for Actor's Conviction Ruled Illegal

   Tokyo, Nov. 17 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Supreme Court on Friday found illegal the withdrawal of a decision by a state-affiliated body to pay subsidies for a film due to the drug conviction of an actor in it.
   The court's Second Petty Bench ordered the Japan Arts Council to cancel the retraction of the subsidies for "Miyamoto kara Kimi e" (From Miyamoto to You) in the court's first decision over how public subsidies for artistic activities should be given.
   Presiding Justice Akira Ojima ruled in favor of the film production company, after its claim of illegality was dismissed in a lower court ruling.
   The 56-year-old cast member, Pierre Taki, was arrested for violating the narcotics control law in March 2019 and later convicted.
   In July the same year, the council, supervised by the Cultural Affairs Agency, ditched its decision to give 10 million yen in subsidies to the company. The council said it took the action from the viewpoint of "public interest," a factor not examined in experts' assessments to choose films good for subsidies.

(2023/11/17-19:38)

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