Former Eugenic Protection Law plaintiff, man from Sendai City visits his father’s grave to announce victory in lawsuit

From NHK

July 15 2024

SENDAI – Following the Supreme Court’s ruling ordering the government to pay compensation for the former Eugenic Protection Law, a plaintiff living in Tokyo visited his father’s grave in his hometown of Sendai to report the outcome of the trial.

In a lawsuit filed by people who had been forced to undergo sterilization for reasons such as disabilities under the former Eugenic Protection Law, the Supreme Court Grand Bench ruled on July 3rd that the former Eugenic Protection Law violated the Constitution and ordered the government to pay compensation.

In response to this, on the 15th, one of the plaintiffs, Sendai native Kita Saburo (pseudonym, 81), visited his father’s grave in Sendai to report the outcome of the trial.

As a child, Kita was placed in an institution for behaving in a problematic manner, and was forced to undergo surgery at the age of 14.

After that, he was unable to tell his wife about the surgery for about 40 years, and just before she died, he told her, “I’m sorry I hid it from you.”

After people who had the same surgery filed a lawsuit, he filed a lawsuit six years ago and has continued to complain about the damage.

Kita carefully poured water on the grave, offered flowers and incense, then bowed deeply and joined his hands.

“It was painful. Thank you,” he said in a tearful voice, bowing his head several times.

“I thought my parents made me undergo the surgery and I always held a grudge against them, but I realized that the government was to blame. I’m happy to be able to tell my parents I’ve won. I hope that other people who have had the surgery will also muster their strength and speak out.”

It is believed that there are still many people who have undergone sterilization surgery who are unable to speak up, so a free telephone consultation service will be held nationwide on the 16th for people who may have undergone the surgery.

Attorney Sekiya Naoto, who represented Kita, said, “I think there are many cases where the person themselves is not aware of the damage they suffered and only their family knows. The ruling states that the government is at fault and not the individual or their family, so I hope people will feel free to come and seek advice.”