A 60-year-old Japanese lorry driver, who lived his entire life in poverty, was awarded 38 million Yen (approximately Rs 2 Crore) in compensation after a court found he was switched at birth with another baby from a wealthy family, according to The South China Morning Post. The case, originally ruled in 2013, has resurfaced online amid renewed interest in similar family reunion stories in China.
The switch occurred in 1953 at San-ikukai Hospital in Tokyo’s Sumida district, where the two babies were accidentally exchanged shortly after birth. The error went undetected for six decades, until suspicions arose within the affluent family. The younger sons became doubtful about their elder brother’s behaviour and appearance, particularly after he mistreated their father and placed him in a nursing home despite promising to care for him, as per SCMP.
Suspicions deepened after the younger brothers recalled that their late mother once mentioned a clothing mix-up involving a nurse at the hospital. In 2009, they collected a cigarette butt discarded by their elder brother and had his DNA tested – confirming he was not biologically related.
This revelation led them to track down the real biological son, who had been raised by an adoptive family in impoverished conditions. His adoptive father died when he was just two, and he grew up in a household without basic amenities. He worked part-time jobs to support himself through secondary school and was often reminded that he looked nothing like his family, as per the media outlet.
By contrast, the man who lived his life was educated, wealthy, and ran a company alongside his three successful siblings. Tragically, by the time the switch was discovered, both biological parents had died.
Presiding judge Masatoshi Miyasaka ruled in favour of the lorry driver, stating he was robbed of the life he rightfully deserved and would never have the chance to meet his real parents.