Japan Holds Annual Ceremony to Honor Leprosy Patients 30 Years After Isolation Law Ended

A ceremony took place Monday at the health ministry in Tokyo to restore the honor of leprosy patients who endured Japan's former forced isolation policy. Former patients and others laid flowers at a monument and observed a moment of silence during the event, which marked 30 years since the 1996 abolition of the law that enforced the policy.

Health minister Kenichiro Ueno attended and stated the government would take seriously the restrictions on human rights as well as the prejudice and discrimination faced by patients and their families.

“We’ll take the fact seriously that patients and their families were subjected to restrictions on human rights, as well as prejudice and discrimination, and convey our deepest sympathies to those who died amid great suffering and disappointment,” Ueno said.

” Isao Tateyama, 77, who heads a group of plaintiffs in a damages lawsuit against the government, said former patients and families continue to live in silence because of ongoing prejudice. Tateyama expressed hope that the government would strengthen efforts toward an inclusive society.

The government designated June 22 as the day to restore honor and remember victims after the compensation law took effect in 2001. It has held a ceremony each year around this date since 2009, Japan Times reported.