TOKYO, March 15 (UPI) -- In a case involving a U.S. health food firm and its Japanese affiliate, Tokyo District Court ordered a Japanese reporter to reveal his source of information.
At a hearing entrusted by an Arizona court, Judge Ken Fujishita on Tuesday ordered the reporter from the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper to reveal his sources of information "if information was provided by a public servant who violated the confidentiality obligation of government employees," the Sankei Shimbun reported Wednesday.
The U.S. firm filed a suit against the U.S. government at the Arizona Federal District Court, demanding compensation for an unwarranted tax penalty imposed in 1997.
The reporter will appeal to the Tokyo High Court. A spokesman for Yomiuri Shimbun said the court decision, which implies reporters cannot refuse to reveal their sources when they are public officials, will "restrict the media's ability to report and hinder the public's right to know."
