TAKEFUJI CORPORATION 15-1 Nishi-Shinjuku 8-chome,Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-8654 JapanSeptember 5, 2002
| For release | Immediately | |
| Contact | Media - Osamu Sasaki, | |
| Managing Director and General Manager of Public Relations | ||
| Tel: 81-3-33658030 | ||
| Financial Analysts | - Shizuo Mizukami, General Manager of Investor Relations | |
| - Kunio Takayama, Manager of Investor Relations | ||
| Tel: 81-3-33658011 | ||
| Stock Code No. 8564 - TYOSE | ||
On September 3, 2002, Tokyo: Takefuji Corporation released the news of winning the case against Takarajima and a freelance writer, Mr. Shunsuke Yamaoka in the Tokyo District Court. The case was originally filed against Takarajima and Mr. Yamaoka in December 2000 in respect to a series of wild and slanderous rumors about Takefuji Corporation prevailed since November 2000. We have demanded 100 million yen and a public apology from Takarajima and Mr. Yamaoka in compensation for defamation of character and damage to our credit. We are to inform that the Tokyo District Court decided on September 2, 2002 in favor of the plaintiff, Takefuji, and delivered the judgement on the defendant, Takarajima and Mr. Yamaoka to compensate three million yen on joint and several liability. I. The Judgement The Tokyo District Court ordered the defendants, the publisher Takarajima and the writer Yamaoka to compensate for damages jointly and severally taking it as the reason for judgement that the article of "Bessatsu Takarajima" of November 30, 2000 number brought disgrace on credit, honor and reputation of Takefuji by description of "nearly window-dressing", "stock price manipulation", etc. . The points at issue in the case concerned are as follows: Issue 1. "Whether readers can recognize that the Company T indicates the plaintiff, Takefuji.": The Tokyo District Court dismissed the assertion by the defendants as "the Company T is duly deemed to be Takefuji". Issue 2. "Whether the article concerned brought disgrace on honor of the plaintiff, Takefuji." : The Tokyo District Court dismissed the assertion by the defendants as "the article shall bring disgrace on credit and honor of Takefuji since it is deemed to harm Takefuji's reputation." Issue 3. "Whether the contents of the article concerned can be acknowledged as truth, and whether there is a good reason to believe the truth of it." : The Tokyo District Court dismissed the assertion by the defendants as "the contents can neither be acknowledged the truth of it, nor even a good reason to be believed as such." Issue 4. "Whether the article concerned corresponds to a fair and impartial comment." : The Tokyo District Court dismissed the assertion by the defendants as "the article corresponds to illegal act to bring disgrace on honor of the plaintiff, Takefuji." Issue 5. "The amount of the damage suffered by the plaintiff, Takefuji and the necessity of a public apology.": The Tokyo District Court judged that compensation of damages of three million yen was suitable to the case since "the extent of the damages cannot be acknowledged as serious enough as insisted by Takefuji.", and also dismissed a public apology since "the necessity of it as a proceeding to redeem credit and honor of Takefuji cannot be admitted." II. Circumstances of the case The article of "Swindlers, Political Merchants and Illegal Consumer Finance Companies! Unknown Shadow Networks that directed the Net Bubble" carried in the November 30, 2000 number of "Bessatsu Takarajima with the signature of Mr. Shunsuke Yamaoka as its writer. We took the action of filing against Takarajima and Mr. Yamaoka on November 24, 2000, to claim 100 million yen and a public apology for having been remarkably disgraced on our credit and honor by its groundless contents of the article. III. Our Comment We have already gained three cases against a series of wild and slanderous rumors, while two cases out of the three are currently in the appeal hearing. We consider it very significant that we have again gained the case against defamation of character and damage to our credit caused by Bessatsu Takarajima, which was the initial issuer of a series of wild and slanderous rumors. When we look back over the fact, however, that many of our shareholders suffered from the loss caused by this false article, we determine again to take solid measures against this kind of irresponsible false article in order to protect our shareholders' interest like ever since and from now on. |
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by Takefuji co.