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WORLD NEWS Thursday 25 april 2019

Japan apologizes to forcibly sterilized people, vows redress

By MARI YAMAGUCHI cently after breaking de-
Associated Press cades of silence. That
TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s prompted lawmakers from
government apologized both ruling and opposition
Wednesday to tens of parties to draft a compen-
thousands of people who sation package to make
were forcibly sterilized un- amends.
der a now-defunct Eugen- The plaintiffs are seeking
ics Protection Law which about 30 million yen each
was designed to “prevent ($268,000) in legal actions
the birth of poor-quality de- that are spreading around
scendants,” and promised the country, saying the
to pay them compensa- government’s implemen-
tion. Chief Cabinet Secre- tation of the law violated
tary Yoshihide Suga offered the victims’ right to self-de-
“sincere remorse and a termination, reproductive
heartfelt apology” to the health and equality. They
victims. It came after the say the government redress
parliament earlier Wednes- measures are too small.
day enacted legislation to “Looking back at what we
provide redress, including have suffered as victims, I
3.2 million yen ($28,600) in don’t think what’s in the law
compensation for each This general view shows a plenary session of upper house house after Eugenics Protection Law is sufficient,” said a 76-year-
victim. was passed in parliament in Tokyo Wednesday, April 254 2019. old plaintiff in Tokyo who
An estimated 25,000 peo- Associated Press uses the pseudonym Sa-
ple were sterilized without condition was removed. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, er’s personality and individ- buro Kita. “I’d rather want
consent under the 1948 The redress legislation ac- in a statement, said the uality,” he said. my life back.” Kita said he
Eugenics Protection Law, knowledges that many problem should never be The government had until was sterilized in 1957 at age
which remained in place people were forced to repeated. “We will do all recently maintained that 14 when he lived in an or-
until 1996. The law allowed have operations to remove we can to achieve a soci- the sterilizations were legal phanage. He broke the se-
doctors to sterilize people their reproductive organs ety where no one is discrim- at the time. cret to his wife just before
with disabilities. It was qui- or were given radiation inated against, whether The apology and the re- she died several years ago,
etly renamed the Mater- treatment to be sterilized, they have illnesses or hand- dress law follow a series saying he regretted she
nity Protection Law in 1996, causing them tremendous icaps, and live together of lawsuits by victims who couldn’t have children be-
when the discriminatory mental and physical pain. while respecting each oth- have come forward re- cause of him.q

Russia offers Ukrainians in conflict zones quick citizenship

By NATALIYA VASILYEVA allegiance to Russia. ing with lawmakers in St.
Associated Press Putin’s decision could trig- Petersburg, Putin said his
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian ger a major escalation of order was not intended to
President Vladimir Putin the war that started in east- “create problems for the
signed a decree Wednes- ern Ukraine in 2014 and new Ukrainian administra-
day to expedite citizen- shatter hopes for peace in tion.” He said he signed the
ship applications from the area — also known as decree for “humanitarian”
Ukrainians who live in parts Donbass — that were re- reasons, claiming people
of Ukraine held by Rus- newed with the election of in Donetsk and Luhansk are
sia-backed separatists, a a new Ukrainian president. suffering and “have no civil
move that could hold back Ukrainian Foreign Minister rights left.”
a peace process to end Pavlo Klimkin called Putin’s Putin did not explain why
years of bloodshed. decree “a new stage of the he did not offer expedited
The decree, which was occupation of Donbass.” citizenship for Donbass resi-
published on the Krem- “I’m calling on Ukrainian dents earlier despite insis-
lin’s website, states that A Ukrainian serviceman guards a position near the front line citizens on the Russia-oc- tent calls from Russian na-
people living in the parts as the conflict continues, in Mariinka, Donetsk region, eastern cupied territories to refuse tionalists. The Kremlin did
of Ukraine’s Donetsk and Ukraine, Saturday, April 20, 2019. Russian passports,” Klimkin not act on the calls, even
Luhansk regions that are Associated Press wrote on Twitter. during the worst fighting in
under separatist control considered in less than granted Russian citizenship, Commenting on the citi- a conflict that has claimed
will have their applications three months. If they are they would have to swear zenship decree at a meet- more than 15,000 lives.q