Japanese Lawmaker Ordered to Pay Damages to Journalist Over Tweet ‘Likes’

Japanese journalist Shiori Ito speaks outside a Tokyo court on Dec. 18, 2019, after hearing the ruling on a damages lawsuit by her, accusing a former TV reporter of rape. In this case, the court awarded her 3.3 million yen ($30,000). Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

A Japanese court on Thursday ruled in favor of a journalist who sued ruling party lawmaker Mio Sugita for liking several tweets that she claimed were defamatory to her, the first such verdict in Japan.

Tokyo High Court ordered Sugita to pay 550,000 yen ($3,660) in damages to Shiori Ito, a journalist and an icon of Japan’s #MeToo movement, for liking defamatory posts from other users on Twitter, Kyodo News reported.