67ろくじゅうしち年ねん前まえの赤あかちゃん取とり違ちがえ 同どう時期じき生うまれ数すう十じゅう人にん特定とくてい 文書ぶんしょ発送はっそうへ

It has been revealed that Tokyo has identified the current addresses of dozens of people who were born in Sumida Ward at the same time as the man who was switched with another baby at a Tokyo metropolitan hospital in Sumida Ward 67 years ago, in 1958, as part of an investigation into his biological parents.

The metropolitan government plans to send out documents soon requesting cooperation with the investigation.

Immediately after being born at the Sumida Maternity Hospital operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 1958, Satoshi Ezou 67 was switched with another baby and raised by parents who were not biologically related to him. In a lawsuit seeking an investigation into his biological parents, the Tokyo District Court ordered the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to conduct an investigation this April.

In response to this, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government obtained family registry information from Sumida Ward and proceeded to investigate the current addresses of 113 males whose births were registered in the ward during the month of April 1958, when Mr. Ezou was born, as well as the current addresses of their parents.

On the afternoon of the 18th, a city official met with Mr. Ezou and reported that, so far, they had been able to identify the current addresses of several dozen parent-child pairs, which is about one-third of the total, according to interviews with the lawyer.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will soon send documents to the individuals concerned, requesting their cooperation with the investigation. The documents will ask whether they were born at Sumida Sanin, where the mix-up occurred, and those who are identified will be asked to cooperate with DNA testing.

At the meeting on the 18th, Mr. Ezo handed a letter to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government official to be enclosed with the document for the person concerned.

He reportedly wrote in his own handwriting in the letter about his desire to know his origins.

Mr. Ezō said, I want the person who receives the letter to understand my feelings about wanting to know my biological parents and to cooperate with me.

I could only hope for that, he said.

The life and background of Satoshi Ezou: Satoshi Ezou was born in April 1958 at Sumida Maternity Clinic, and immediately after birth, he was switched with another baby and raised by parents who were not biologically related to him.

When I was a child, relatives would say, You dont look like anyone in the family at all, and I myself sometimes felt differences in personality and other traits compared to the rest of my family.

When I was 14 years old, due to a strained relationship with my father and other reasons, I left home and worked while living in places like a dry cleaning shop.

After that, Mr. Ezou started to get in touch with his family, and when he was 39 years old, he learned that his mothers blood type was B.

Since my father was type O and I was type A, I started to doubt whether we were really related by blood.

When he had a DNA test at the age of 46, the doctor who conducted the test told him, There isnt a single drop of your father or mothers blood running through your body, and Mr. Ezou said, My mind went completely blank.

As a result of discussing it with my parents, we concluded that the only explanation is that I was switched with another baby.

Since Sumida Maternity Hospital had already closed down, they contacted the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which had operated the hospital, but their inquiry was ignored. That year, Mr. Ezou filed a lawsuit against the city seeking compensation.

Two years later, in 2006, the Tokyo High Court acknowledged the mix-up and ordered the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to pay compensation, stating that a serious mistake ruined their lives.

On the other hand, while these court cases were ongoing, Mr. Ezou searched for his biological parents on his own because he wanted to know about his origins.

Based on the Basic Resident Register of Sumida Ward that was publicly available at the time, I found about 80 people with similar birth dates and visited them, but I couldnt find any clues.

Even though I submitted an information disclosure request to Sumida Ward regarding information about family registers, most of the documents that were released were redacted, as they were considered to contain “personal information.”

We negotiated with the city, which was responsible for the mix-up, to conduct an investigation, but they did not comply, so Mr. Ezou filed a lawsuit against the city in 2021.

In the ruling this April, the Tokyo District Court ordered the metropolitan government to investigate the birth parents based on the family register, stating that the right to know ones origins is a legal interest guaranteed by Article 13 of the Constitution, which provides for respect for individuals.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government did not appeal, and the judgment has become final.

Mr. Ezous adoptive father passed away ten years ago.

My foster mother is now 92 years old and, as her dementia has progressed, she is living in a nursing home and it has become difficult to communicate with her.

When she was healthy, she used to say, I want to see the child I gave birth to, even just once, and she was looking forward to meeting her real son.

Mr. Ezou wishes for the Tokyo Metropolitan Governments investigation to progress as quickly as possible, as he believes that his mother doesnt have much time left.

The Tokyo District Court, in its ruling this April, specifically indicated the methods for investigating the biological parents in the citys investigation.

Following the court ruling, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government proceeded to negotiate with Sumida Ward, and in May of this year received information on the names and registered domiciles of 230 people whose birth notifications were submitted between April 1 and April 30, 1958.

So far, it has been determined that 113 of them are men, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been working to identify the current addresses of the individuals and their parents by obtaining family registers from the municipalities of their registered domicile.

According to Mr. Ezous lawyer, as of August 18, a Tokyo Metropolitan Government official reported that they had been able to identify the current addresses of several dozen parent-child pairs, which amounts to about one-third of the total.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to sequentially send documents requesting the cooperation of the relevant individuals in the survey.

Also, as a result of discussions between the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Mr. Ezou, it was decided that Mr. Ezous letter would be enclosed with this document.

Shogo Hamasaki, the Coordination Section Chief of the Tokyo Metropolitan Hospital Support Division in charge of the survey, said, If we are refused at the first contact with the survey subjects, we cannot proceed to the next steps, so I believe this timing is the most important.

They also have their own families and lives, so it is necessary to respond politely and with consideration for their feelings in order to minimize any psychological burden, he said.

He prepared letters to send to the subjects of the investigation, discussing them with his lawyer after the verdict, in order to convey his feelings through the letters.

In a handwritten letter spanning five sheets of stationery, they looked back on a life thrown into turmoil by mistaken identity and poured out their earnest desire to know who they truly are.

I couldnt suppress the desire to know my roots.

My mother said, I want to see how the child I gave birth to with my own pain is doing now, and I want to meet them.

I cant help but think about the other party who was mistaken for someone else.

I hope that as many people as possible who see this letter will cooperate with the investigation, he said.