May 29 (NHK) - A Japanese court has dismissed claims for state compensation filed by two women who were forcibly sterilized decades ago under the now-defunct Eugenic Protection Law. But it declared that the law was unconstitutional.
About 25,000 people are said to have been sterilized under the law, which was in effect from 1948 through 1996, on the grounds that they suffered from mental disorders, genetic diseases or other ailments.
Two women in Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, now in their 60s and 70s, were forced to undergo the procedure when they were teenagers.
They demanded a combined sum of 71.5 million yen or about 650,000 dollars in compensation from the state, citing a violation of their human rights.
Sendai District Court Presiding Judge Motoyuki Nakashima dismissed the women's claims on Tuesday.
He said the rights to apply for compensation expire 20 years after sterilization, and that they have already lost their right to a claim.
But he pointed out that the Eugenic Protection Law violated Japan's Constitution.
The plaintiffs say they will appeal the ruling to the high court. The ruling is the first among seven lawsuits across Japan pertaining to forced sterilization.
Source: ANNnewsCH
