"I Was Born with a Silver Spoon"... Truck Driver's Life Changed by Hospital Mix-Up

Switched at Birth, Forced Into a Life of Poverty
Court Orders Hospital to Pay 358 Million Won in Damages

A Japanese truck driver, who was born into a wealthy family but was switched at birth with another baby due to a hospital error, won a lawsuit against the hospital. Although he was awarded compensation of 38 million yen (approximately 358 million won), he expressed his deep disappointment, saying, "If only I could turn back the clock to the day I was born."

A Japanese truck driver born into a wealthy family filed a lawsuit against the hospital after his parents were mistakenly switched due to a hospital error, resulting in him receiving compensation of 38 million yen (approximately 357.86 million won). Image to aid understanding of the article. Pixabay

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 25th (local time), Mr. A, who was born on March 30, 1953, at Sani Kukai Hospital in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, was switched at birth with a baby from a poor family due to a hospital mistake.

Destined to grow up under wealthy parents, he was instead sent to an adoptive family. He lost his father at the age of two and endured a difficult childhood. Mr. A lived with his mother in a single-room apartment with not a single electronic appliance, struggling to make ends meet. He worked various part-time jobs to graduate from middle school, and after becoming an adult, he worked as a truck driver, living a hard life and never marrying.

'Secret of Birth' Revealed During Inheritance Dispute

The truth came to light more than 50 years later during a family inheritance dispute involving Mr. A's biological relatives. Mr. B, who had grown up as the eldest son in the wealthy family after being switched with Mr. A, inherited part of his mother's estate in exchange for taking care of his father after his mother passed away. However, he left his father in a nursing home instead of caring for him personally. Dissatisfied, his younger siblings began to question Mr. B's biological relationship to them, as he looked noticeably different from the rest of the family.

The siblings collected a cigarette butt discarded by Mr. B and requested a DNA test in 2009. The results confirmed that Mr. B was not biologically related to them. The hospital then helped locate Mr. A, who was working as a truck driver in Tokyo. Mr. B filed a lawsuit against the hospital for damages and won the case.

Court: "Separated from Parents at Birth... Entitled to Compensation"

The Tokyo District Court ordered the hospital to pay 38 million yen in compensation. Of this, Mr. A received 32 million yen, while the remaining 6 million yen was awarded to his three biological siblings. Presiding Judge Masatoshi Miyasaka stated, "Mr. A was separated from his biological parents immediately after birth and will never be able to meet them," adding, "He should have grown up in a financially comfortable environment and is therefore entitled to compensation."

Although he won the lawsuit, both of Mr. A's biological parents had already passed away. Moreover, Mr. B, who had lived the life of the eldest son in a wealthy family in Mr. A's place, had inherited the family business and become its head. Mr. A lamented, "The mother who raised me seemed destined for hardship," adding, "I had to help her care for my four siblings, including one who suffered a stroke." He continued, "If none of this had happened, my life would have been completely different," and angrily demanded, "Turn back the clock to the day I was born so I can live the life I was meant to have."