No issue: forced sterilisation in Japan |
Victims of the government-run programme meet to demand compensation at a conference in Tokyo today. An estimated 25,000 people were sterilised under the Eugenic Protection Law, enacted in 1948—and not repealed until 1996—to prevent the birth of “defective descendants”. The law focused on people with hereditary conditions such as epilepsy and learning disabilities. The youngest victims were just nine years old. Eugenics policies flourished across the world in the 20th century, mostly targeting those deemed unfit or too poor to have children. Sweden is among several governments that have owned up. Japan’s health ministry, however, appears to be digging in for a fight against a wave of compensation claims that began in January. It says the operations were legal at the time, when the nation was struggling with over-population and other social problems. More lawsuits are on the way: a hotline set up by a team of legal experts has attracted dozens of calls. |
エコノミスト・エクスプレッソというサービスがあり、早朝にメールの記事を毎日サービスしてくれる。私がイギリスに留学したときには、週末の新聞を読むのがとても楽しい部分だった。迅速な対応が必要な緊急報道という、NHKが得意な技術系の理念ではなく、世界で起きたことについて少し考えてまとめる一呼吸があることが、のんびりしている私の性格にあっているのだろうと思っている。今回は最近の優生保護法をめぐる報道をまとめた記事で、双方の考えを適切にまとめたいいものだなと思う。