October 17, 2024

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

The former Eugenic Protection Law (1948-1996) allowed the forced sterilization and abortion of people with disabilities and certain diseases based on the ideology behind eugenics that aimed to “prevent the birth of defective offspring”. In reaction to the worst human rights abuse by the national government in postwar Japan, a new law designed to compensate victims of forced eugenic sterilization was unanimously enacted on October 8 in the extraordinary Diet session.

The preamble of the newly-enacted law states that the government and the Diet “will accept their responsibility seriously with regret and remorse, and will offer a heartiest apology” for “promoting mistaken measures from the standpoint of eugenics” and depriving the victims of the opportunity to have a child. The law requires the national government to take action to prevent the repetition of similar inhumane policies. The establishment of the new law should be a first step toward eradicating eugenic ideology.

Along with the enactment of the new legislation, the Diet unanimously adopted a resolution which included the term, “eugenic ideology”, in response to a proposal by the Japanese Communist Party. The Diet in its document resolves to make efforts to “eradicate all forms of discrimination and prejudice against people with disabilities and specific diseases.”

The need now is for the government to make the payment of compensation and lump-sum benefits to all victims without delay. It is also necessary to provide financial support to local municipal governments and facilities which will carry out the measures stated in the law. In addition, a third-party organization should be set up to thoroughly examine the past forced sterilization policy.

The former Eugenic Protection Law gave full endorsement to the concept of eugenics and allowed discrimination against disabled and “socially undesirable” individuals.

The JCP will spearhead efforts to use the new relief law as a jump-start to steadily implement measures to increase public awareness of the notion of basic human rights and root out the lingering eugenic ideology and continued discrimination against targeted groups and individuals.

Past related article:
> New law to compensate forced eugenic sterilization victims unanimously enacted [October 9, 2024]