Japanese Truck Driver Discovers He Was Switched at Birth, Wins 38 Million Yen Compensation

A Japanese truck driver aged 60, who spent his entire life in financial hardship, received a compensation of 38 million Yen (approximately Rs 2 Crore) after court proceedings revealed he had been switched at birth with another infant from a wealthy family, according to The South China Morning Post. This 2013 case has gained renewed attention online amid similar family reunion narratives emerging from China.

The accidental exchange happened in 1953 at Tokyo's San-ikukai Hospital in the Sumida district, where both newborns were mistakenly swapped shortly after their births. This error remained undiscovered for six decades until suspicions arose within the wealthy family. The younger siblings began questioning their eldest brother's identity due to behavioral and physical differences, particularly after he mistreated their father and placed him in a care facility despite earlier promises of personal care, according to SCMP.

These suspicions intensified when the younger brothers recalled their late mother once mentioning a clothing mix-up involving hospital staff. In 2009, they secretly collected DNA from their elder brother by retrieving a discarded cigarette butt. Testing confirmed he had no biological connection to the family.

Following this discovery, they traced the actual biological son who had been raised in severe poverty by an adoptive family. His adoptive father passed away when he was only two years old, forcing him to grow up in a household lacking basic necessities. He supported himself through secondary education with part-time employment and frequently heard comments about his lack of family resemblance, as reported by the media outlet.

Meanwhile, the man who had been raised in his place received an excellent education, accumulated wealth, and managed a company alongside his three successful siblings. Tragically, by the time this switch was uncovered, both sets of biological parents had already passed away.

Judge Masatoshi Miyasaka ruled in favor of the truck driver, determining that he had been deprived of the life he was rightfully entitled to and would never have the opportunity to meet his actual parents.