TOKYO -- A group of 13 Tokyo residents who do not own smartphones or Japan's My Number identification cards sued the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in the Tokyo District Court on Oct. 28, seeking approximately 110,000 yen (about $700) in damages per plaintiff over an app-based points program. The dispute centers on a cost-of-living assistance initiative under which the Tokyo Metropolitan Government issues points worth 11,000 yen (about $70) to residents aged 15 and older who download the official "Tokyo App" and verify their identity using a My Number card. According to the complaint, residents who do not possess smartphones or My Number cards are unable to receive the points, which the plaintiffs argue violates the principle of equal access to public services guaranteed under Japan's Local Autonomy Act and related laws. The metropolitan government provides guidance on how to apply for the points, including in-person assistance. It also plans to allow proxy applications for people who have difficulty operating smartphones, such as those with disabilities. However, the plaintiffs said, "The government should allow applications at service counters or provide cash benefits so that all Tokyo residents are covered." The metropolitan government said, "We would like to review the contents of the complaint once it arrives and respond appropriately." Speaking at a press conference after the filing, plaintiffs' representative Kiyoshi Enomoto, 77, said, "It is wrong that living support does not reach people without smartphones and My Numbers cards." One of the plaintiffs, a 77-year-old unemployed woman living in the Tama region of western Tokyo, said she has not obtained a My Number card because she "does not want to be managed by the national government." She has also been unable to receive the points. Her smartphone use is limited to calls, email and the like, and she did not know the Tokyo App existed. At a meeting of the plaintiffs she attended after Enomoto invited her, she learned that a My Number card was needed to use the app and receive the points. "When everyone else is receiving the benefit, why am I the only one left out?" she said. For the woman, whose monthly pension income is 65,000 yen (approx. $410), the 11,000-yen benefit is a significant amount. "Owning a smartphone or a My Number card is optional. The program should accommodate residents who do not have them," she said.
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