Original upload date: Tue, 17 Dec 2013 00:00:00 GMT
Archive date: Mon, 06 Dec 2021 05:50:30 GMT
A Japanese man born to wealthy parents, grew up in poverty after being given to another couple in a hospital six decades ago. The infant who took his place went to live a privileged life of private tu
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toring, university and is today head of a property firm.
The 60-year-old man - who has declined to give his name - was raised reliant on hand-outs from the state after his 'father' died when he was 2. The woman he considered his mother had to support three older brothers and there were few comforts in their one-room apartment as he grew up.
The man studied at night-school while working day shifts in a factory before finding steady employment as a driver. He never married and helps take care of the three men who are not his brothers, including one who has suffered a stroke.
Meanwhile, the infant that was given to the man's biological parents and was born 13 minutes later in Tokyo's San-Ikukai hospital grew up in relative affluence.
Questions were raised recently when the brothers of the man who was given to the wealthy family realised he bore little resemblance to any of his relatives. DNA tests subsequently confirmed the mistake.
The error apparently happened when a midwife took the new-born babies away to be bathed and then returned them to the wrong mothers.
The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday ordered the hospital to pay the man 374,000 US$ in damages as a result of the mix-up, significantly less than the 2.5 million the plaintiffs had been seeking.
Judge Masatoshi Miyasaka said in his ruling "There were far-reaching differences between the two family environments and the plaintiff suffered an unreasonable loss as a result,"
The man's biological parents both died before the error came to light.
The man who grew up impoverished would have been the oldest son in the family had he come home with his biological parents, leaving a question mark over the position of the man who took his place if he took over the family business
The hospital initially attempted to have the case dismissed on the grounds that the 10-year statute of limitations had run out. The court dismissed that claim and ruled that the statute of limitations only began when the results of the DNA tests were confirmed.
The hospital has not confirmed whether it will appeal the ruling.
