Adult Ward Should Have Right to Vote Says Court

The Tokyo District Court on Thursday ruled unconstitutional the provision in the Public Offices Election Law that strips the right to vote from adults helped by guardians.

A three-judge panel led by Judge Makoto Jozuka handed down the decision in a suit filed by a woman backed by an adult guardian against the government.
The decision was the first since the adult guardianship scheme was introduced in 2000.

The plaintiff, Takumi Nagoya, 50, a resident of the city of Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, has Down’s syndrome and midlevel intellectual disabilities. Her 81-year-old father, Seikichi, was picked as her guardian in February 2007.