The Shog-A.I. Shimbun Podcast #50: 1st Plaintiff, Sumiko Nishi, Reaches Settlement in Forced Sterilization Lawsuits in Japan

By Barrier Free Japan

August 5 2024

TOKYO – A plaintiff in a damages lawsuit over forced sterilizations conducted under Japan’s now-defunct eugenic protection law reached a settlement Wednesday with the government, the first such resolution among similar lawsuits filed across the country. The settlement in the suit filed by Sumiko Nishi, 77, of Hino, Tokyo, was finalized in Tokyo District Court. Nishi, who has cerebral palsy, was subjected to sterilization without consent at around 14 years old. Nishi’s legal team says the government agreed to pay more than 16 million yen, or about 106,000 dollars, for the compensation, legal fees and other costs. She filed a lawsuit against the government in September 2022 for damages of 30 million yen, citing severe mental anguish from the surgery.

Episode Notes: 

‘1st Plaintiff, Sumiko Nishi, Reaches Settlement in Forced Sterilization Lawsuits in Japan’:

1st Plaintiff, Sumiko Nishi, Reaches Settlement in Forced Sterilization Lawsuits in Japan