Japan Court Rules Eugenics Law Unconstitutional, Denies Damages

Kikuo Kojima is pictured in a wheelchair on his way to Sapporo District Court with his supporters on Jan. 15, 2021. (Kyodo)

TOKYO (Kyodo) — A Japanese court on Friday ruled as unconstitutional the now-defunct eugenics protection law that mandated the government stop people with disabilities from having children, but it rejected a claim for damages sought by a man in northern Japan.

Kikuo Kojima, a 79-year-old from the city of Sapporo, is the first such plaintiff to have disclosed his name. He had filed a damages suit seeking 11 million yen ($100,000) for being sterilized against his will under the obsolete law, but the Sapporo District Court rejected his claim.

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