On July 24, Uehara Takako (30), a member of female
group SPEED, won her lawsuit for defamation against Shukan Bunshun�(Bungei Shunju) for a subtitle that claimed she had ties with
an organized crime group.� She was awarded ?1,100,000 (approx. $10,967 USD) in damages.
Presiding judge pointed out, "Reporting that the plaintiff had ties to organized crime without confirmation seriously damaged her [reputation and has affected her] activities within the entertainment industry."�
The defamatory headline appeared in the magazine's
September 15, 2011 issue.� At the time, Uehara was introducing a building on a TV show that some people
associated with a place where those part of organized crime hang out, and the magazine used the
title "Boryokudan Haijo Jorei Ni Nerawa Reru Kuroi Geinojin"
(roughly translates to "Celebrities With Dark Ties to be Targeted by the�Organized Crime Exclusion Ordinance") together with Uehara's name and photo.
The magazine argued that "The title was no more than commentary and critique [on the law]," but the judge ruled that "The heading was a personal attack towards the defendant, so it was therefore not a fair commentary and critique."
�
Bungeishunju stated, "We will look into our handling of the matter, including the consideration of appealing the verdict."
Source: Yomiuri
Image:�Sponichi Annex via Yahoo! JAPAN
Thanks to�Harlie for the tip!
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