A Japanese court has ordered a married man who posed as single on a dating app to pay compensation to a woman he dated.
According to the Asahi Shimbun on the 21st, the Nagoya District Court ruled partially in favor of the plaintiff in a damages lawsuit filed by a 35-year-old woman against a 38-year-old man, ordering the man to pay 1.21 million yen (about 11 million won). The court noted that the defendant had expressed an intention to marry to the plaintiff and her family while continuing the relationship, and stated that the plaintiff, who had her trust betrayed, suffered significant emotional harm.
The plaintiff met the man in April 2023 on a dating app for finding marriage partners, and began dating him in May of that year, believing his claim that he was "currently single after divorcing his ex-wife." The two dated for about one year and three months, during which they prepared a marriage registration form and had matching couple rings made. However, in August 2024, it was revealed that the man was still married and had not divorced. The plaintiff filed a lawsuit last June seeking 3.3 million yen in compensation, claiming her right to sexual self-determination had been violated and that she had suffered emotional harm.
The man's side acknowledged that he had lied about being single, but argued that there had been no specific discussion premised on marriage. The court did not accept this argument, judging the man's conduct to be an unlawful act and recognizing his responsibility to pay compensation. After the ruling, the plaintiff said that while she was relieved his conduct was recognized as an unlawful act, the compensation amount was set low compared to the actual harm.
