The Nagoya High Court in central Japan has ordered the national government to pay compensation for damages over its decision to cut welfare benefits by stages.

The court handed down the ruling on Thursday, which also nullified the benefit reductions.

The Japanese government lowered welfare benefits by up to 10 percent between 2013 and 2015 so as to reflect falling commodity prices at the time.

Thirteen recipients of those benefits in Aichi Prefecture filed a lawsuit to demand the central government pay damages over the move and to nullify benefit reductions implemented by municipalities.

The plaintiffs argued that they were forced to live below the minimum standard of living.

The Nagoya District Court dismissed their claims in 2020, saying it cannot be said that the government's decision was illegal. The plaintiffs appealed to the high court.

At the high court, the presiding judge said the revision to the standard amount of benefits lacks consistency with expert knowledge and it is a clear deviation of the welfare minister's discretionary power. He added it violates the Public Assistance Act and is illegal.

The legal team for the plaintiffs says this is the first time that a Japanese court has ordered the state government to pay compensation for damages over the benefit reductions. Currently, 29 similar lawsuits have been filed across the country by groups of plaintiffs.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu spoke to reporters after the Thursday ruling.

He said the welfare ministry will examine the details of the ruling, and that the government will have discussions with relevant ministries, agencies and municipalities to decide how to deal with the matter.