Japan Top Court Orders Damages for Forced Sterilizations

Jiji

16:20 JST, July 3, 2024

Tokyo, July 3 (Jiji Press)—Japan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday awarded damages to victims of forced sterilizations under the now-defunct eugenic protection law.

The top court’s Grand Bench, presided over by Chief Justice Saburo Tokura, decided not to apply the 20-year statute of limitation for damages claims, a focal point of the case, effectively handing victory to the plaintiffs.

It found the old law, which was used to force people with disabilities to undergo sterilizations, unconstitutional and ordered the government to pay damages to plaintiffs in five lawsuits.