The Fukushima prefectural government said Tuesday it has found a list of names of 120 people who underwent sterilization under the eugenic protection law that existed for decades until 1996, bringing the total number of such records identified to 2,845 across 21 prefectures.
Under the now-defunct law, 24,991 had their reproductive capacity removed due to mental or other diseases — including 16,475 without consent — according to the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, which cited government reports.
The Fukushima prefectural government had earlier told Kyodo News it held no such records but said Tuesday it had found the documents listing the names, ages and illnesses of 33 men and 87 women, of whom 68 were under 20 years old.