Japan Sued by 3 Million Plaintiffs Over Forced Sterilizations Under Defunct Eugenics Laws

May 18, 2018

(The Japan Times) – Three people in their 70s sued the state for damages on Thursday, claiming they were sterilized against their will under the now-defunct eugenics protection law. Kikuo Kojima, 76, in Sapporo, and a woman in Miyagi Prefecture and man in Tokyo who have declined to be named, filed the lawsuits at their respective district courts seeking a total of ¥79.5 million ($721,000) in damages, saying that they have been robbed of the right to decide whether to have a child.