A message of gratitude from the defense team.

To our supporters

1. Introduction

As previously stated in the documents, this case has been concluded by settlement. The official settlement agreement has been uploaded to the Litigation Documents → High Court → Other section.

We are considering holding a debriefing session or symposium in the future, but first, I wanted to take this opportunity to report on our progress and express my gratitude to all our supporters.

We have come this far solely because of everyone's support and kind words.

2. The circumstances leading to the settlement

In this case, the Chiba District Court recognized the prefecture's violation of its duty of care and the fact that overtime work was performed late at night, thus legally confirming that Ms. Iijima's claim was justified.

However, the prefecture appealed, and the trial will continue in the Tokyo High Court.

After both sides presented their arguments further at the Tokyo High Court, the court inquired about the possibility of a settlement.

Ms. Iijima and her legal team stated that the purpose of this lawsuit was not monetary gain, but rather to improve the working conditions at child-related facilities, including temporary shelters, so that staff could focus on their actual work. They believed that if the prefecture itself acknowledged the issues with break times and nap times and promised to make improvements, they could achieve their objective more effectively than a court judgment, and therefore considered a settlement.

In other words, rather than unilaterally condemning the case in a judgment, we believed that reaching a settlement and having the parties promise to make improvements themselves, thereby giving the settlement political binding force to ensure that future considerations of working conditions at child-related facilities in the prefecture are based on the terms of the settlement, would ultimately protect many future staff members.

The prefecture indicated that there was room for consideration, so we have been discussing the terms of the settlement since last year.

During the negotiations, we were conducting settlement talks on the condition that neither party would disclose the contents, so we apologize for not being able to provide a detailed report on what happened during that time.

After repeated discussions throughout last year, we ultimately reached a settlement as outlined in the settlement agreement.

The agreement included a pledge to comply with relevant notices and regulations and to conduct necessary training, as well as a pledge regarding "break times" and "napping times," which were the biggest issues with Ms. Iijima's work style. In other words, Ms. Iijima was constantly working or had to respond as needed during her break and napping times, and was not actually able to rest. The settlement stipulated that in the future, a system will be put in place to ensure that she is completely free from work during her break and napping times.

We believe that we were able to achieve our objective of improving the working conditions of our employees through litigation.

3. The impact of support at CALL4 on the outcome

Even including Ms. Iijima and her legal team, there were only a handful of people involved, so the impact we could have on the public and society was minimal. If we had continued the challenge alone, it might have just ended quietly with a verdict.

However, as we announced the details and progress of the lawsuit at CALL4, people who saw it came to the rallies and offered their opinions and words of support.

This was encouraging not only for Ms. Iijima, but for the entire legal team, and also served as a reminder to stay focused.

Furthermore, many people attended the court hearings. The court viewed it as a high-profile case with a large audience, and we were able to present our arguments in court every time (in typical cases, hearings are often held behind closed doors or online).

There is no doubt that the court took this public attention into consideration when writing its judgment.

I understand that the media took notice of this matter because everyone "spread the word" about it.

In addition to the social and emotional support mentioned above, I would also like to express my sincere gratitude for the economic support.

The legal team has not received any compensation for this case.

However, filing a lawsuit incurs significant expenses, including out-of-pocket costs, and there are also expenses for meetings and symposiums. It would not be easy for Ms. Iijima personally or our legal team, which consists mostly of young lawyers, to raise these funds alone. Thanks to everyone's financial support, we were able to get through the lawsuit with peace of mind.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude once again. This lawsuit was completed thanks to everyone's support.

4. Regarding the future

Reconciliation doesn't automatically mean that all circumstances will immediately improve.

This settlement is a turning point and a seed. I believe it will flourish when it is utilized in various fields, such as political arenas, forums where employees demand improved working conditions, research fields, and litigation.

In that sense, I believe that Ms. Iijima and her legal team will need to continue to monitor whether improvements are made to the environment at child-related facilities, but I sincerely hope that many people will "make use" of this settlement.

This victory in the first instance and the subsequent settlement were achieved not only by Ms. Iijima and her legal team, but also by everyone who supported us behind the scenes—we were all one team working together.

This result would not have been possible without all of you.

I am truly grateful.

All members of the Jiso legal team

A thank you from Mr. Iijima

My name is Shota Iijima, and I was a plaintiff in the lawsuit titled "We want more time to spend with children: Improve working conditions at child welfare centers!"

This lawsuit has concluded with a settlement agreement that includes provisions for Chiba Prefecture to strive to improve the working conditions of child welfare center staff.

I feel like I did everything I could. The fact that I can even think that way is truly a blessing. It's a place I could never have reached on my own.

I may have been the only plaintiff. But I was never alone. That's because I had everyone's support. Every time I looked at the CALL4 page, I was reminded that I wasn't alone. I can't express how much encouragement I received when I looked back at the words of support. I wanted to express my gratitude to each and every one of you who supported me, and that feeling gave me the strength to continue fighting the trial.

It was only thanks to the support of so many people that I was able to see this trial through to the end. I believe that your words of encouragement were what truly supported the court and Chiba Prefecture. I will never forget the experience of fighting this trial alongside all of you.

I sincerely hope that all of you who have thought of the children and the staff will continue to be happy in the future. I believe that the existence of people in this world who want to help and support others will surely become a source of hope for someone. To me, you were a beacon of hope. I, too, hope to live a happy life from now on, so that I can become a source of hope for someone else.

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement through CALL4 until the very end!

The settlement details, Ms. Iijima's statement, and the legal team's statement have been uploaded to the section under Litigation Documents → High Court → Other.

Further information regarding future plans and announcements for our supporters will be posted on this page at a later date.

As reported in the news, a settlement was reached with Chiba Prefecture today.

Regarding the proposed settlement terms, Ms. Iijima's statement in response, and the statement from the legal team:

I will upload it at a later date.

The journey to get here has been very long and not easy, but thanks to the support of many people

We used the response to the lawsuit as motivation to reach a settlement and get the prefecture to declare that it would make improvements.

I wanted to express my gratitude as soon as possible.

As has been reported in the media, we are currently in negotiations with Chiba Prefecture to reach a settlement. As this matter requires approval from the prefectural assembly, we are unable to provide any definitive information, but our legal team is also positively considering the matter. We are planning to hold a press conference on this matter at 11:30 a.m. on March 23rd at the Tokyo High Court Press Club, where we will provide further details.

The verdict and press conference were scheduled for December 18th of this year, but to proceed with the trial and to discuss the possibility of a settlement,

The date of the judgment was set aside.

Therefore, the press conference has also been cancelled.

We will announce this page again as soon as future plans are decided.

October 25, 2025, to communicate the significance of this lawsuit

Symposium

"SOS from the Child Welfare Field!! Questions raised by the Chiba District Court ruling"

was held.

The lecture by Professor Horiba covered the history and current state of child welfare.

I was able to gain a bird's-eye view of the position of this lawsuit.

This lecture is available to watch for free on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=dlFL0ogfh84

The appeal hearing was held at the Tokyo High Court on October 9th.

Despite the event being held in Tokyo, we were encouraged by the large number of people who attended.

At the beginning of the hearing, the attorney representing the plaintiff and Iijima both made statements, criticizing the response of Chiba Prefecture, which filed the appeal, and once again stressing the significance of this lawsuit.

After that, it was expected that both sides would make further rebuttals to their arguments in the appeal hearing, but the court informed us that it intended to end the hearing on the same day.

We had been considering further questioning of Mr. Iijima based on the arguments made in the appeal. We had also finally reached the point where we could find a new expert who would cooperate in the trial. However, although we informed the court of these circumstances, the court did not accept our request, and the trial concluded on the same day, with us being informed that a verdict would be issued at 2:00 p.m. on December 18th.

However, we were later asked if a "settlement" (a resolution through discussion rather than a verdict) was possible before the verdict was announced, and our legal team responded that we would not reject a settlement.

The purpose of this lawsuit is to improve the working environment at child welfare centers, and if Chiba Prefecture promises to ensure sleep late at night, breaks during the day, and training and follow-up for staff, we believe that this goal will be achieved and there is no reason to refuse.

It is not yet clear whether Chiba Prefecture will reach a settlement and take a proactive approach to environmental improvement, or whether it will not settle and go straight to a judgment, but for the time being, settlement negotiations will be held.

Even after the Tokyo High Court's ruling, there is still an opportunity for the case to be heard at the Supreme Court, but the conclusion of the appeal will mark the end of this lawsuit.

We have been able to get this far thanks to all of your support and cooperation.

We appreciate your continued support and cooperation.

After the verdict is announced on December 18th, a press conference is scheduled to be held in the press conference room inside the courthouse.

Although this is not about a lawsuit, the Chiba Bar Association has issued a statement questioning the working conditions at child welfare agencies.

For your reference, please see below.

https://www.chiba-ben.or.jp/opinion/9ecd2aaf09d809928903daf0b268e455d2878f1c.pdf

I'm sorry I haven't been able to update for a long time.

In conclusion, Chiba Prefecture appealed the decision of the Chiba District Court, and the case will be heard (appeal trial) at the Tokyo High Court. Simply put, an appeal is a procedure in which a judge at the Tokyo High Court is asked to review the validity of the decision of the Chiba District Court.

The first hearing will be held on October 9th at 11:00 a.m. in Courtroom 822 of the Tokyo High Court.

On the same day, the defense team is scheduled to make a further rebuttal to Chiba Prefecture's grounds for appeal.

Materials to be used at the appeal hearing, such as Chiba Prefecture's appeal statement and the plaintiff's legal team's rebuttal, will be uploaded after the hearing.

Unfortunately, there will be no regular report meeting on the same day as a press conference will be held after the date.

Instead, a symposium on this lawsuit will be held at the Chiba Bar Association on the afternoon of October 25th. We will post information about this on this page once the details have been finalized.

The ruling was handed down yesterday, but I have heard that Chiba Prefecture appealed the ruling on the same day.

We had hoped that Chiba Prefecture would take its time to consider the contents of the ruling, and we are extremely disappointed that it appealed the ruling on the same day.

In any case, if an appeal is filed, the Tokyo High Court will hear whether to change the Chiba District Court's ruling.

As a result, the lawsuit will continue at the Tokyo High Court, so we would appreciate your continued support.