“At long last we can live as human beings” ”We can restore the rights of human beings”. I had never been so moved by the word “human being” until I heard it on TV.

On May 11 the Kumamoto District Court passed a judgment for the first time on the national compensation suit for Hansen’s victims. This is a historic decision made by a court, that the Diet and the government were responsible by accepting their claim, that they had been suffering infringement of human rights caused by forced isolation in state Hansen ‘s sanitariums under the Leprosy Prevention Law (abolished in 1996). At the news of their winning the suit, some former Hansen’s disease patients strained their voices like the opening of this article at interviews.

Hansen is a bacterial infection disease, but with a very low infectious and not a hereditary disease. Hansen’s patients, however, have been suffering extreme discrimination and prejudice because of public fear caused by external deformity in face, fingers and legs.

It was during World War II that Promine (antibiotic), a very effective medicine, was invented. In 1947 that medicine was adopted in Japan, and in 1952 WHO set a high value on the effectiveness of medicines and proposed a change of on the segregation policy. Surprisingly the next year 1953, despite of such circumstances, Japan broke down the Hansen’s patients’ association and dared to enact the new Leprosy Prevention Law, continuing forced isolation.

The judicial decision resulted in the fact that the unnecessarily prolonged mandatory segregation policy, which had been effective even after treatment at home became common worldwide in 1960’s, is an obvious violation of the Constitution. The Kumamoto District Court also held the Minister of Health & Welfare and the Diet responsible for legislative forbearance that they did not take enough measures so as to remove still-remaining discrimination and prejudice against them.

Honestly speaking, I have another reason why I was so moved by the victims’ words at the opening, besides the aches of them who had been severely infringed on human rights. That is my own forbearance as a citizen.

In my school days I participated in a work-camp at Nagashima Aiseien, one of the thirteen national Hansen’s sanitariums. I suppose that I had some kind of hunch on this issue myself since I was neither invited to join by friends nor had got any acquaintance in the group.

The one-week work under the burning sun in the mid-summer was very hard. I was covered with perspiration and coal tar, but it was a very exciting experience to cooperate together with comrades of the same generation. I had opportunities to talk with patients there and felt the history of discrimination and the seriousness in my own way. To my regret I had never come across any movements concerning concrete public discussions on the Leprosy Prevention Law and towards its abolishment ever since. I did not do anything at all after that. So was it for most of the participants, I believe.

There are two encounters by stages in volunteer activities, or it may be said that there are two beginnings. The first one is the encounter with fields of activities and people. Then, we encounter issues there and ones that we ourselves must face. In other words, there is the first beginning when we take one step, that is to say, approach towards an object. Then comes the second beginning that we hold ourselves responsible for those issues.

The second encounter and/or beginning differs; it takes much longer for some ones, and others start from the second encounter. It, however, will become the power to change society depending on how many citizens have experienced the second encounter and/or beginning.

So many volunteer-experience programs and work-camps are planned all over Japan, however I wonder if the experience there will lead to the second encounter or beginning. I am in doubt that plans and projects are made with the view to let participants have such encounters; towards the first step, that they become aware of issues, come into contact with them, and get involved in them. In my opinion it is time that all the parties concerned with volunteer promotion think about these steps once again.

On May 18 the government decided to lodge an appeal at the Fukuoka Higher Court after getting Prime Minister Koizumi’s approval. At the same time it is told that considering the graveness of the matter, the government is under investigation about a remedy in case of reconsideration. It goes without saying that it is important to provide an exceptional pension and care system to guarantee their sound life hereafter and a remedy such as intensified supports so as to return to society. However their cry as “human beings” cannot be resolved by any compensation. There is no other way to restore their infringed human rights than the state formally admit the responsibility and make a sincere apology. If the government should challenge the ruling, that decision would be surely a new infringement of human rights.

What we can do to make the government give up this appeal? This question is put not only to the government but also to us citizens, who are to be accused of our own forbearance.