Law to help hepatitis patients must be established without delay

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Law to help hepatitis patients must be established without delay

About 120 hepatitis patients die every day, but the Democratic Party of Japan-led government intends to postpone establishing a new law to help victims who were infected due to government negligence.

It is estimated that about 3.5 million people across the nation are infected with hepatitis B or C virus. Most of them got infected with the hepatitis virus through group vaccinations or blood transfusions. The reason why there are so many infected people in Japan is the government’s failure in infection disease control and lax pharmaceutical policy.

Hepatitis B and C victims decided to file a lawsuit against the government and drug companies, demanding compensation for damages. In the hepatitis B victims’ lawsuit, the Supreme Court recognized the state responsibility for infection, and in the hepatitis C victims’ lawsuit, drug companies made an apology and agreed to an out-of-court settlement. But, plaintiffs’ relief measures are not enough. To create a new law to help hepatitis patients is the earnest desire of all plaintiffs calling for a measure to provide support for the 3.5 million hepatitis-infected people throughout Japan.

At the end of June just before the dissolution of the House of Representatives, hepatitis patients, including the national group of plaintiffs in hepatitis victims’ lawsuits, asked DPJ President Hatoyama Yukio for an early establishment of a hepatitis patients support law. At that time, Hatoyama said, “When the DPJ comes into power, we will adopt a law to meet your expectations.”

A leader of the national group of plaintiffs in hepatitis victims’ lawsuits, Yamaguchi Michiko, said, “A law to help hepatitis patients must be established. I urge Prime Minister Hatoyama to take responsibility for his promise at that time, and call on all parties to adopt the law by focusing on saving patients’ lives.”

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Koike Akira commented, “A law to support hepatitis patients must be established during this extraordinary Diet session. The DPJ’s wavering attitude is called into question. We will make our utmost effort to enact the law by encouraging the government and other political parties to take a stand and do so.”

- Akahata, October 29, 2009