On November 15, 2019, the Act on the Payment of Compensation to Family members of former leprosy patients (Act No. 55 of 2019; hereafter referred to as the "Act") was enacted through a parliamentary bill and promulgated and put into effect on November 22 of the same year. In addition, on June 12, 2024, the Act to partially amend the Act on the Payment of Compensation to Family members of former leprosy patients was enacted through a parliamentary bill and promulgated and put into effect on June 19 of the same year, and the deadline for claiming compensation was extended to November 21, 2029.
The preamble to the law states that, under the isolation policy of Hansen's Disease, Family members of former leprosy patients and others have been forced to endure great pain and hardship for many years, including being faced with prejudice and discrimination that made it difficult for them to form the family relationships they had desired with former Hansen's Disease patients, and yet the seriousness of the problem has not been recognized and no steps have been taken to address it. The law takes this tragic fact seriously, with feelings of remorse and remorse, and offers deep apologies.
In accordance with the law, compensation will be paid to eligible families of former Hansen's Disease patients.