Victims of forced sterilisation in Japan to receive compensation and apology theguardian.com

Thousands of victims of forced sterilisation in Japan will finally be offered compensation for their suffering under a now-defunct eugenics law. About 16,500 people, mostly women with disabilities, were targeted between 1948 and 1996 under a Japanese law that aimed to stop the birth of children described as “inferior”. Surviving victims will soon receive a “deep apology” and lump-sum payments of 3.2 million yen (US$28,700 or £21,600) under the terms of a bill agreed between ruling party and opposition MPs, with the legislation set to be submitted to parliament next month.