Victim of Japan's forced sterilization gets over $100,000 in compensation

By Efe Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - A woman who initiated a series of lawsuits seeking compensation from Japan for being subjected to forced sterilization under a now-defunct eugenics law reached a settlement on Tuesday at a high court, securing 15 million yen ($104,000) in damages.​​​​​​​

The decision follows a landmark Supreme Court ruling on July 3 this year proclaiming the woman, who is in her 60s, and other plaintiffs were due compensation, more than six years after the woman initially filed her lawsuit.

The now-defunct eugenics protection law, in effect between 1948-1996, permitted the sterilization of people with intellectual disabilities, mental illnesses, or hereditary disorders without their consent to prevent the birth of "inferior" offspring.

The Japanese parliament passed a law in 2019 to pay $27,885 to people who underwent forced sterilization, but it faced criticism for the "uniform amount" set for each person.

More than 16,500 women and men were sterilized without their consent. Japan previously rejected compensation demands, citing the fact that sterilizations were legal during that time.

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