Human Rights Bulletin: Supreme Court Ruling on Forced Sterilizations under Japan’s Eugenics Protection Law (1948–1996) and Its Background

The Supreme Court of Japan struck down the Eugenics Protection Law (1948–1996) as unconstitutional and ordered the government to pay compensation on 3 July 2024. 1 This was a historic and ground-breaking ruling on one of the most serious human rights violation cases in Japan. This bulletin covers the background and significance of a ruling that led to the establishment of the government Action Plan Against Ableism in December 2024 and to the Compensation Act, that came into force in January 2025.