The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the liability of the family of a 91-year-old man with dementia who was killed by a train after wandering onto railway tracks.

The precedent-setting decision is of great significance in a graying society in which the number of dementia patients is projected to increase significantly.

The ¡°groundbreaking¡± ruling thoroughly favored the family of the dementia patient, said lawyer Teruhiko Asaoka, who represented the family.