Outing orders Kofu city councilor compensation; author Li Qinfeng's lawsuit granted - Tokyo District Court

The Tokyo District Court ruled on the 29th in a lawsuit filed by Taiwanese Akutagawa Prize-winning author Li Qinfeng, who sought 5.5 million yen in compensation from Kofu City Councilor Hiromi Muramatsu, alleging that she suffered from ``outing,'' in which her name and photo before changing her gender were posted on social media, revealing that she was transgender. Presiding Judge Yohei Motomura found the incident to be an invasion of privacy and ordered the city councilor to pay compensation of 1.1 million yen.

According to the ruling and other documents, in May 2024, the city councilor posted about Lee, saying, ``He has a male body.'' It also cited and published a third-party post that included photos of Lee as a minor before she changed her gender and her real name. It is said that the two were not acquainted.

Regarding the posted information, Chief Judge Motomura pointed out, ``There is a strong need for it to be kept secret as it is closely related to the plaintiff's physical sex and gender identity, and it cannot be said that there was a rational reason for it to be made public.'' He admitted that he had illegally invaded Lee's privacy.

At a press conference after the verdict, Lee said, ``I don't feel very happy or joyful, and I think it's strange that a trial was even necessary.I hope he will sincerely reflect.''

A city councilor commented, ``I would like to decide (future response) through discussions with my lawyer.''

Lee won the Akutagawa Prize in 2021 for ``The Island Where the Spider-Higan Flower Blooms.'' Afterwards, in November 2024, she announced that she was transgender after receiving slander from an unspecified number of people regarding her gender.