The Japanese government announced plans to draw up a new action plan to combat discrimination and prejudice against persons with disabilities. This initiative comes in response to a recent Supreme Court ruling that found the now-defunct eugenic protection law unconstitutional.
The ministerial panel was established in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling earlier this month that declared the now-defunct eugenic protection law, which mandated sterilizations based on disabilities, unconstitutional. Through this panel, the government aims to enhance education and awareness to eliminate discrimination against persons with disabilities and eradicate eugenic ideologies.
“The discrimination, abuse, isolation, violation and special treatment that disabled people have been facing must not exist,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday at the meeting.
Kishida directed Justice Minister Ryuji Koizumi and Ayuko Kato, Minister of State for Policies Related to Children, to swiftly resolve pending sterilization cases through conciliation agreements.
The decision to establish the panel was made on Friday, marking the eighth anniversary of the tragic knife attack at the Tsukui Yamayuri-en care home for persons with disabilities in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Kishida pledged to address the issue across all government agencies on July 17, during his meeting with plaintiffs involved in litigation against the government over forced sterilizations.
