Side Event at the 18th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

International Sharing of the Experiences and Lessons of Japan's Former Eugenic Protection Law

Tuesday, June 10, 2025 | 1:15 PM – 2:30 PM（EDT）
Conference Room 7, United Nations Headquarters
*Simultaneous interpretation in Japanese and English, international sign interpretation, and English captioning provided

Hosted by the Japan Disability Forum, the Eugenic Protection Law Network, the National Association of Victims of the Eugenic Protection Law, and the Legal Defense Team for Victims of the Eugenic Protection Law
Co-hosted by the International Disability Alliance

＜PDF Flyer＞

[Japanese]

About 25,000 people mostly with disabilities were forcibly sterilized under Japan’s Eugenic Protection Law enacted in 1948. Although the related provisions of the law were repealed in 1996, the actual suffering of the victims has not made public and our government issued no apology nor compensation (to the victims).
In 2018 a victim sued the government for the first time. In July 2024 the Supreme Court ruled Eugenic Protection Law as unconstitutional from its enactment and ordered the government to pay compensation to all victims. Following this, the Diet in October 2024 unanimously enacted a legislation to pay compensation to all victims and their spouses.
The fight against eugenics-based discrimination as exemplified by the Former Eugenic Protection Law is a challenge shared across the world. In this side event we intend to share the history of this human rights violation, the actual sufferings of the victims, and their legal battle so as to prevent any similar policies and to strengthen international protection of human rights.

Program

Chair

• Osamu Nagase (JDF Policy Committee Member / Secretary General, Inclusion International)

Speakers

• Hiroshi Tamon (Member of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Member of the Tokyo Defense Team for the Eugenics Protection Law)
• Naoto Sekiya (Head of the Tokyo Defense Team for the Eugenics Protection Law)
• Saburou Kita (Co-Representative of the National Association of Victims of the Eugenic Protection Law)
• Kumiko Fujiwara (Representative of the DPI Women with Disabilities Network, Co-Representative of the Eugenic Protection Law Network)
• Amba Salelkar (Senior Manager on Programs and Impact of International Disability Alliance)

Video Appearances

• Keiko Onoue and Takashi Onoue, Yumi Suzuki (Survivors of Eugenic Surgery)

Closing Remarks by

• Nobuaki Tanaka (Chair, Policy Committee Chair of the Japan Disability Forum and Member of the Aichi Defense Team for the Former Eugenics Protection Law)