強制不妊、和解へ合意書締結　慰謝料最大１５００万円―国が謝罪、全訴訟終結へ

　旧優生保護法に基づき不妊手術を強制されたとして、被害者が国に損害賠償を求めている訴訟で、国と原告側は１３日、和解に向けた合意書を締結した。手術を受けた原告１人当たり最大１５００万円、配偶者には２００万円の慰謝料を支払うことが柱で、国による謝罪も盛り込まれた。最初の提訴から６年７カ月以上を経て、一連の訴訟は終結に向かう。
　合意に基づく和解の対象となるのは、３高裁６地裁で係争中の１９人の原告。加藤鮎子こども政策担当相と全国原告団・弁護団の代表が式に出席し、合意書に調印した。
　調印後、加藤氏は「多大な苦痛と多くの苦難に心から深く謝罪申し上げる」と頭を下げた。原告の飯塚淳子さん（仮名、７０代）は「私が求め続けてきたことがやっと実現した」としつつ、「国に謝罪されても賠償されても、手術によって狂わされた人生は戻ってきません」と声を詰まらせた。（2024/09/13-19:15）

The Japanese government and plaintiffs on Friday signed an agreement toward settling a series of damages lawsuits over forced sterilizations conducted under the now-defunct eugenic protection law.
   The agreement includes payments by the government and its apology to the victims. It came over six years after the first of the forced sterilization lawsuits was filed in January 2018.
   Under the deal, the government will pay 15 million yen in damages to each forced sterilization victim, as well as cover their legal fees.
   If an individual who underwent forced sterilization and a spouse are both plaintiffs of the lawsuits, the country will pay 13 million yen to the forced sterilization victim and 2 million yen to the spouse in damages, as well as pay for the legal fees of both people.
   The agreement came after a ruling by the Supreme Court last July recognized that the now-defunct eugenic protection law was unconstitutional and that the government was liable to pay damages.