Category: Forced Sterilization

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.

Following the Supreme Court ruling that the former Eugenic Protection Law, which forced sterilization on the grounds of disability, was unconstitutional, the government has decided to create a new council with all cabinet members as members to eradicate discrimination against people with disabilities. It will be launched within this week and its first meeting will be held within the month. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference on the 22nd, “We would like to proceed with preparations to establish the council as soon as possible.”

Among the victorious plaintiffs is Kikuo Kojima, 83, of Sapporo. He was put up for adoption soon after his birth. He contracted polio, leaving him with a disabled right leg for which he was bullied. At age 19, when he was leading a desolate life, he was forced to undergo sterilization.
Kojima was handcuffed by a police officer in front of his home and put into a psychiatric hospital in Sapporo. It was one-sidedly determined that he was mentally ill, and when he was sterilized, a nurse told him that this had to be done “since it would be terrible if people like you had children.”

Speaking at a press conference held in Tokyo after the meeting, Koji Niisato said, in a trembling voice, “We’ve made it this far at last. It’s taken so long. But now that we’ve gotten an apology from the prime minister, I think we have reached one of our goals.”