In the evaluation of the risk facing an applicant, the Court in STA v Minister of Justice accepted
the relevance of the situation of persons with similar situations as an additional indicator:
The main issues [in dispute in the present case] … are … whether the plaintiff is qualified as a refugee,
considering his situation and that of his relatives, given that he himself was not prosecuted nor faced the
possibility of being punished. While recognising the value of the indicator, it was unnecessary for the Nagoya District Court to consider the position of persons similarly situated, given it was satisfied that the applicant was a
refugee on the basis of evidence concerning the individual's circumstances alone.