Japan’s Diet Passes Forced Sterilization Compensation Bill

From Jiji

October 8 2024

TOKYO – The Diet enacted a bill into law on Tuesday to compensate victims of forced sterilization under Japan’s now-defunct eugenic protection law. 

The new law includes a preamble expressing the state’s apology and calls for compensation of 15 million yen each for victims and 5 million yen for their spouses, as well as a lump-sum payment of 2 million yen for those forced to have abortions.

The compensation law will take effect three months after its promulgation.

In response to a Supreme Court ruling in July that deemed the now-defunct law unconstitutional and recognized the government’s responsibility for compensation, a suprapartisan group of lawmakers has worked to provide relief to victims other than plaintiffs in forced sterilization lawsuits.

While a similar law enacted in 2019 did not explicitly mention the state’s apology in its preamble, the compensation law states that the Diet and the government seriously acknowledge their responsibility and sincerely apologize for creating and implementing an unconstitutional law.