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Court Tells Japan to Compensate Leprosy Patients
In a landmark ruling, a Japanese court on Friday ordered the state to pay millions of dollars in compensation to more than 100 former leprosy patients who were forced to live for years in isolation centers.
In the first ruling in a series of cases against the draconian 1953 Leprosy Prevention Law, the Kumamoto District Court in southern Japan ordered the government to pay a total of 1.82 billion yen ($14.89 million) to 127 plaintiffs.
"I'm so happy, unbelievably happy," said Miyoji Morimoto, 63, who has lived for decades at a leprosy center in suburban Tokyo and is a plaintiff in a similar suit.
"The money is not the important thing. Just the fact we won is fantastic," Morimoto said.
The compensation fell far short of the amounts demanded by the plaintiffs.The plaintiffs had demanded 100 million yen each in compensation, arguing that the law violated their human rights and was unconstitutional. Lawyer fees would bring the total sought to 115 million yen each.
It was unclear whether the government would appeal the ruling, since it faces several hundred more lawsuits filed by former leprosy patients.
"I haven't yet heard the details of the ruling. We will deal with it in an appropriate manner after studying it," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told parliament.
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