Negotiations between the government and hepatitis B sufferers and bereaved families have ground to a standstill. Talks began in May 2010 when the government announced its readiness to engage in negotiations in line with recommendations by the district courts in Sapporo and Fukuoka that the related compensation lawsuits be settled in such a manner. The lawsuits were filed at 10 district courts in and after March 2008.
The infections were mainly caused by mass vaccinations that began being carried out in 1948 under the Preventive Vaccinations Law. It is believed that up to 440,000 people were infected through shared needles.
In the 1960s, the government stepped up research on hepatitis B, but its focus was on prevention of mother-to-child virus transmission and little attention was paid to infection through shared needles. It wasn't until January 1988 that the health ministry issued instructions mandating a one-use policy for needles and syringes.