The Sapporo District Court, one of 10 district courts across Japan handling lawsuits filed by hepatitis B sufferers and bereaved families seeking state compensation, on Jan. 11 made a proposal aimed at reconciling the two sides. On Jan. 22, an association of the plaintiffs throughout the country decided to accept the Sapporo court's proposal, under which the state would provide compensation and relief measures covering all hepatitis B sufferers. Earlier the state also decided to accept the proposal. It is hoped that the court-mediated settlement negotiations will reach a successful conclusion at an early date.
According to the health and welfare ministry, 1.1 million to 1.4 million people are infected with the hepatitis B virus, with 90 percent of them not yet having developed symptoms. Up to 440,000 carriers are believed to have been infected through shared needles during mass vaccinations. Only in January 1988 did the ministry issue instructions mandating a one-use policy for needles. Some carriers have developed diseases such as liver cancer, cirrhosis and hepatitis.
In June 2006, in a lawsuit filed by five people, the Supreme Court ruled that the state was responsible for causing infections because of its failure to order local governments to take preventive steps such as not reusing needles. It ordered the state to pay ¥5.5 million in compensation per plaintiff.