A historic court-mediated settlement was reached on Wednesday between the state and a Tokyo plaintiff in a landmark forced sterilization case. This case marks the first resolution among dozens of lawsuits filed nationwide in response to the July ruling by the top court declaring the eugenics protection law unconstitutional.
The plaintiff, Sumiko Nishi, a 77-year-old resident of Hino in western Tokyo, filed the lawsuit in 2022 after being forcibly sterilized in 1960 at the age of 14 due to her cerebral palsy. The state has agreed to pay ¥16.5 million ($108,000) in damages to Nishi, matching the amount awarded to plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case. Furthermore, the government will issue a notice to local authorities, clarifying that these settlements will not affect welfare benefits for recipients.