Horrors of Eugenics Law: Japan's Supreme Court orders government to pay reparations to forced sterilization victims

The top court’s decision offered a major relief to the victims who had been seeking justice for decades The plaintiffs, their lawyers and supporters hold the signs reading “Winning lawsuit” outside the Supreme Court after in Tokyo. Source: AP In a landmark judgement, Japan’s Supreme Court has ordered the government to compensate the victims of the forced sterilization surgery, despite a 20-year statute of limitations coming into play. The Supreme Court justice mentioned in the ruling that eugenics law “was significantly against the idea of respect for individual dignity and personality” and in violation of Article 13 of the Constitution. Justice Tokura also maintained that the government’s argument that the victims cannot seek compensation because the statute of limitations has passed is “unacceptable” and goes against the “idea of justice and fairness.” Furthermore, the Supreme Court also condemned the ¥3.2 million lump sum payment offered to the victims in the past as “too little” and does not hold the government accountable. In 2019, the first ruling over the matter at the Sendai District Court found the eugenics law to be unconstitutional but dismissed compensation claims due to the statute of limitations.