All forced sterilization lawsuits settled; plaintiffs and Japanese government sign agreement

By Barrier Free Japan, Kyodo via Yahoo! Japan, Jiji

September 13 2024

TOKYO – On the 13th, the plaintiffs and the government signed a settlement agreement in a lawsuit over forced sterilization under the old Eugenic Protection Law. Final adjustments were being made on the government’s payment of 15 million yen in compensation to any individual who underwent the surgery. Lawsuits currently underway in various regions have been gradually entering settlement procedures, and the settlement will take place about six years and seven months after the first lawsuit was filed in 2018.

The agreement covers 19 plaintiffs of pending lawsuits across the country.

If an individual who underwent forced sterilization and a spouse are both plaintiffs of the lawsuits, the country will pay 13 million yen to the forced sterilization victim and 2 million yen to the spouse in damages (15 million Yen is approximately $106,000 US), as well as pay for the legal fees of both people.

Separately, a cross-party group of lawmakers on Friday proposed paying 15 million yen to each victim of forced sterilization surgery who did not join the lawsuit, saying that whilst the settlement agreement paves the way for a concrete solution to the “biggest human rights violation in the postwar era,” it does not yet provide compensation to all victims, estimated at about 25,000, or realize a “symbiotic society” free of discrimination and prejudice.

At a signing ceremony held at the Child and Family Agency, the plaintiffs’ group and lawyers from around the country, along with Minister of State for Child Policy Ayuko Kato, confirmed the contents. According to the agency, 19 people currently in dispute in three high courts and six district courts will be settled based on the agreement.