Japan's PM Fumio Kishida apologises to victims of forced sterilisation

NEW DELHI: Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday offered an apology to the victims of a now-defunct eugenics law that resulted in the forced sterilisation of thousands of individuals between 1948 and 1996.
Speaking at his office in Tokyo, Kishida acknowledged the government's heavy responsibility as the enforcer of the law, stating, "I express my heart-felt apology, representing the government," while bowing to a group of victims.
In addition to the apology, Kishida committed to implementing new measures to ensure that victims receive compensation beyond the 3.2 million yen (approximately $20,000 today) payment made in 2019, which campaigners deemed insufficient.
The apology comes in the wake of a July 3 ruling by Japan's top court, which declared the law unconstitutional and ruled that the 20-year statute of limitations preventing some victims from receiving compensation could not be applied.
The government, which had previously apologised in 2019, recognises that approximately 16,500 individuals, including those with mental and physical disabilities, were forcibly sterilised under the law, which aimed to "prevent the generation of poor quality descendants."
An additional 8,500 people were sterilised with their consent, although lawyers argue that they were likely "de facto forced" due to the pressure they faced. A government notice from 1953 even stated that physical restraint, anaesthesia, and "deception" could be used to carry out the operations.
This dark chapter in Japanese history gained renewed attention in 2018 when a woman in her 60s sued the government over a procedure she had undergone at the age of 15, leading to a wave of similar lawsuits.
Following the top court's ruling, a nonpartisan group of lawmakers has begun studying new compensation measures, to submit legislation to parliament later this year, as reported by Jiji Press.