Japan Govt Loses Suit over "Abenomasks"

   Osaka, June 5 (Jiji Press)--A district court on Thursday partially nullified the Japanese government's decision not to disclose documents regarding the procurement of "Abenomasks," cloth masks distributed in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
   Atsushi Tokuchi, presiding judge at Osaka District Court, also ordered the state to pay 110,000 yen in damages to the plaintiff, Kobe Gakuin University professor Hiroshi Kamiwaki.
   Kamiwaki had filed a suit demanding the revocation of the government decision, saying that it was illegal not to disclose the documents containing detailed information about the state's procurement contracts.
   In April 2020, then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced plans to distribute cloth masks to all households in an effort to combat the pandemic.
   The government signed 32 no-bid contracts with 17 companies to distribute the masks, including those provided to elderly care facilities and elementary and junior high schools. In total, the government procured some 318 million masks for around 44.3 billion yen.

(2025/06/05-18:05)