Leprosy Patients to Get $69,800 Each

The Japanese government announced that it will compensate 431 Korean and Taiwanese leprosy patients who were detained in sanitariums against their will during Japanese colonial rule with eight million yen, about $69,800, each.

According to the Japanese press, Korean and Taiwanese groups that sued the Japanese government will accept the offer, marking an end to the “leper case,” one of the lingering postwar issues between Korea and Japan.

A group of Korean and Taiwanese plaintiffs is planning to withdraw its lawsuit, which is pending litigation in court.

In a written report submitted last March, a Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare council concluded that foreign leprosy patients were discriminated against as well, and suggested that the government consider compensation.

Kwang-Am Cheon iam@donga.com