Tokyo: In a landmark decision, Japan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the government to pay adequate compensation to the victims who were forcibly sterilized under the now-repealed Eugenics Protection Law, which was designed to prevent physically disabled people from having children. It is estimated that about 25,000 people were sterilized without consent between 1950 and 1970 under this law to prevent any physical defects in the offspring born.
Many plaintiffs are now wheelchair-bound
The plaintiffs’ lawyers called it Japan’s “biggest human rights violation in the postwar era.” The court said the 1948 law was unconstitutional. Wednesday’s verdict was for 11 of the 39 plaintiffs who fought their cases in Japan’s five lower courts to get their cases heard in the country’s Supreme Court. The cases of the other plaintiffs are still pending. Many of these plaintiffs are now dependent on wheelchairs. They thanked the court outside after the verdict. In Tokyo, 81-year-old plaintiff Saburo Kita said, “I cannot express my happiness and I would never have been able to do this alone.”
Sterilization was done at the age of 14
Kita said he was sterilized in 1957 at age 14 when he lived in an orphanage. He revealed his secret shortly before his wife’s death several years ago. He said he regretted never having children because of him. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida apologized to the victims and said he hoped to meet the plaintiffs to apologize in person. Kishida said the government would consider a new compensation plan.
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