[Diet] Release of Investigative Report under Section 21 of the Now-defunct Eugenic Protection Act (Lump-Sum Payment Act)

On June 19, 2023, the Chairpersons of the Health, Labour and Welfare Committees of the House of Representatives (Lower house) and the House of Councillors (Upper house) reported to the Speaker of the Lower house and President of the Upper house the "Investigative Report under Article 21 of the Act on Lump-sum Payments, etc. to Persons Who Underwent Eugenic Surgery or Similar Operations in Accordance with the Now-defunct Eugenic Protection Act (Lump-sum Payment Act)."

The investigation was ordered on June 17, 2020, the last day of the 201st session of the Diet (ordinary session) by Masahito Moriyama, then Chairman of the Labour and Welfare Committee of the Lower house, and Shuko Sonoda, then Chairperson of the Health, Labour and Welfare Committee of the Upper house, based on Article 21 of the Lump-sum Payment Act, which was passed and enacted by the 198th session of the Diet (ordinary session) on April 24, 1991. Accordingly, a draft has been prepared by the Health, Labour and Welfare Investigation Office under the Research Bureau of the Lower house and the Investigation Office under the Health, Labour and Welfare Committee of the Upper house.

According to the Lump-sum Payment Act, the purpose of the investigation was to help create an inclusive society by examining and creating a record of legitimized sterilization practice since 1948, when the now-defunct Eugenic Protection Act was enacted, until its abolition in 1996. The matters investigated include the legislation and amendment process of the now-defunct Act, the social background, and the state of practice of involuntary eugenic surgeries.

The general contents of the report are as follows:

Introduction
Part 1: Legislative process of the now-defunct Eugenic Protection Act
Chapter 1: Enactment Process of the National Eugenics Act
Chapter 2: Enactment Process of the now-defunct Eugenic Protection Act
Chapter 3: Amendment Process of the now-defunct Eugenic Protection Act - from the 1949 amendment to the 1955 amendment
Chapter 4: Movements in the Amendment of the now-defunct Eugenic Protection Act and other laws - from the 1950s to the 1995 amendment
Chapter 5: From the Eugenic Protection Act to the Maternal Protection Act - from the 1996 amendment onwards
Chapter 6: Eugenics in Textbooks
Chapter 7: Enactment of the Lump-sum Payment Act
Chapter 8: Investigations in the DietAppendices and References

Part 2: Practices of Eugenic Surgeries
Chapter 1: Eugenic Surgeries under the now-defunct Eugenic Protection Act
Chapter 2: Changes in the Number of Eugenic Surgeries Performed
Chapter 3: Investigation of Data held by National Institutions
Chapter 4: Surveys of Local Governments
Chapter 5: Surveys of Medical and Welfare Institutions
Chapter 6: Surveys of Organizations related to Persons with Disabilities
Chapter 7: Surveys of Persons who have undergone Eugenic Surgery, etc.
Chapter 8: Investigations into the Application for Lump-sum Payments under the now-defunct Eugenic Protection Act, etc.
Chapter 9: Publicly Available Materials of Organizations related to Persons with Disabilities and Organizations related to Medicine
Related documents

Part 3: History of Eugenics/Eugenics Movements in other Countries and Sterilization Policies
Chapter 1: History and Overview of Eugenics/Eugenics Movements
Chapter 2: Historical Development of Eugenics/Eugenics Movements in Various Countries and Regions
Chapter 3: Sterilization Policy and Compensation to Victims in the USA
Chapter 4: Sterilization Policy and Compensation to Victims in Germany
Chapter 5: Sterilisation Act and Compensation to Victims in Sweden
Chapter 6: Trends in Eugenics Policy and the Setback of the Sterilization Policy in the UK

For more information, please visit the website below:
https://www.shugiin.go.jp/internet/itdb_rchome.nsf/html/rchome/Shiryo/yuusei_houkokusho.htm