Study: Japanese Eugenics Program Sterilized Children

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Facts

  • A report from the Japanese government has revealed the scope of the country's eugenics program from 1948 until its repeal in 1996, with nearly 25K allegedly sterilized by the government, including children as young as nine-years-old.1
  • Japan's eugenics law targeted individuals, mostly women, with disabilities, mental illness, or heritable disorders, and made sterilization a pre-condition for marriage or some welfare programs. 65% of the sterilizations were reportedly done without the consent of the patients, with some being deceived about the true nature of the procedures.2
  • According to the report — conducted under a 2019 law that seeks to provide relief to the victims and guidance to prevent similar incidents — the youngest victims of the program were two nine-year-olds, a boy and a girl, who were sterilized in the 1960s and 70s.3
  • In 2019, Japan apologized to the victims and established a reparations fund. Forced sterilization programs in countries such as the US, Sweden, and Germany have also resulted in official apologies and reparations.4
  • At a news conference, Chief Cabinet Sec. Hirokazu Matsuno said the government "sincerely reflects on and deeply apologizes for" the sterilization program.2

Sources: 1Guardian, 2The Japan Times, 3NHK, and 4BBC News.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by The Diplomat. Slowly but surely, justice is being served for the victims of Japan's eugenics program. This shameful chapter in the nation's history is being taken seriously by those in power, as recent statements and court rulings have shown. This is but one small step in helping the victims recover from what they have been put through, and we can only hope accountability, contrition, and compensation can provide some comfort to those who have suffered.
  • Narrative B, as provided by NBC. The ugly history of sterilization in Japan is far from over, as discriminatory laws are still forcing marginalized people to undergo this dehumanizing procedure. Transgender people in Japan are still subject to forced sterilization if they wish to have their gender changed on official documents, which indicates that Japan has still not reckoned with the past injustices they have inflicted on vulnerable populations.