Eugenics in Japan

Last updated

Eugenics has influenced political, public health and social movements in Japan since the late 19th and early 20th century. Originally brought to Japan through the United States (like Charles Davenport and John Coulter), through Mendelian inheritance by way of German influences, and French Lamarckian eugenic written studies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. [1] Eugenics as a science was hotly debated at the beginning of the 20th, in Jinsei-Der Mensch, the first eugenics journal in the Empire. As the Japanese sought to close ranks with the West, this practice was adopted wholesale, along with colonialism and its justifications. [2]


The concept of pureblood as a criterion for the uniqueness of the Yamato people began circulating around 1880 in Japan, while eugenics in the sense of instrumental and selective procreation, clustered around two positions concerning blood, the pure blood (純血, junketsu) and the mixed blood (混血, konketsu). [2]

Popularity of the pure-blood eugenics theory came from a homegrown racial purity or monoculture national belief that has been part of Japanese society since ancient times[ citation needed ]. The local movement was however less focused on modern scientific ideals and more on the "outside person" vs the "native or inside person" and blood purity. [2]

Later legal measures were supported by certain politicians and movements that sought to increase the number of healthy pure Japanese, while simultaneously decreasing the number of people suffering mental retardation, disability, genetic disease and other conditions that led to them being viewed as "inferior" contributions to the Japanese gene pool. [3] [4]

Opposition to the eugenics movement persisted amongst several right-wing factions, including members of the Diet of Japan and obstetricians, who perceived eugenics as suggesting that the Japanese people were only animals, not inhabitants of the "country of the kami" (神国, shinkoku) as believed by the Japanese national Shinto tradition. [5] Yoshiichi Sōwa (曽和義弌), author of "Japan's Shinto Revolution", [6] wrote in 1940, "When we look up into the past, the people of our country are descended from the kami. Are they claiming we must sterilize these people?" [7]

Origins of Japanese domestic scientific eugenics

Yamanouchi Shige (1876–1973), a plant cytologist, was one of the early and important members of the Japanese eugenics movement, who was trained under John Merle Coulter (1851–1928) an American eugenicist and botanist. He was a major promoter and academic of early Lamarckian theory, but later blended his ideas with Mendelian evolutionary theory.

His career is a direct link between United States and Japanese eugenics. His approach has been credited with searching for a way for the Japanese race to genetically surpass what was then the "dominant Western race" of the 19th and early 20th centuries by breeding smarter and stronger Japanese people. [8]

According to Jennifer Robertson of the University of Michigan, eugenism, as part of the new scientific order, was introduced in Japan "under the aegis of nationalism and empire building." [9] She identifies "positive eugenism" and "negative eugenism." Positive eugenism, promoted by Ikeda Shigenori, refers to "the improvement of circumstances of sexual reproduction and thus incorporates advances in sanitation, nutrition and physical education into strategies to shape the reproductive choices and decisions of individual and families" [10] Negative Eugenism, promoted by Hisomu Nagai, "involves the prevention of sexual reproduction, through induced abortion or sterilization among people deemed unfit". [10] "Unfit" included people such as alcoholics, lepers, the mentally ill, the physically disabled, and criminals. [10]

Social Darwinism was at that time gaining credibility with scientists around the world and thus was introduced to Japan as well. [11]

Eugenic policies

Ikeda Shigenori (池田 林儀), a journalist who had been sent to Germany, started the magazine Eugenics movement (優生運動, Yūsei-undō) in 1926. In 1928, he promoted December 21 as "Blood-purity day" (junketsu de) and sponsored free blood-test at the Tokyo Hygiene Laboratory. [12]

Nagai, the "Doctor of Eugenics", assumed the position of chief director of The Japanese Society of Health and Human Ecology (JSHHE), which was established in 1930. [13]

By the early 1930s detailed "eugenic marriage" questionnaires were printed or inserted in popular magazines for public consumption. [14] Promoters like Ikeda were convinced that these marriage surveys would not only insure the eugenic fitness of spouses but also help avoid class differences that could disrupt and even destroy marriage. The goal was to create a database of individuals and their entire households which would enable eugenicists to conduct in-depth surveys of any given family's genealogy. [12]

An Investigation of Global Policy with the Yamato Race as Nucleus , a secret document for the use of policy-makers, cited eugenics approvingly, calling for the medical profession not to concentrate on the sick and weak, and for mental and physical training and selective marriages to improve the population. [15]

Race Eugenic Protection Law

The Race Eugenic Protection Law was submitted from 1934 to 1938 to the Diet. After four amendments, this draft was promulgated as a National Eugenic Law ( ja:国民優生法 , Kokumin Yūsei Hō) in 1940 by the Konoe government. [16]

This law limited compulsory sterilization to "inherited mental disease", promoted genetic screening and restricted birth control access. [17] According to Matsubara Yoko, from 1940 to 1945, 454 people were sterilized in Japan under this law. [18]

There were also campaigns to ensure reproduction amongst the "intelligent or superior elements" in the population. [5]

Family center staff also attempted to discourage marriage between Japanese women and Korean men who had been recruited from the peninsula as laborers following its annexation by Japan in 1910. In 1942, a survey report argued that

"the Korean laborers brought to Japan, where they have established permanent residency, are of the lower classes and therefore of inferior constitution... By fathering children with Japanese women, these men could lower the caliber of the Yamato minzoku." [2]

Eugenism was criticized by some Shinto ultranationalists as it seemed to treat Japanese people, considered of divine origin, as animals to be "bred". [19] According to Nagai Hisomu, the Japanese Army's ignorance and dismissal of the science behind eugenics also stalled the spread of eugenic ideology. [20]

After 1945

One of the last eugenic measures of the pre-war regime was taken by the Higashikuni government. On 19 August 1945, the Home Ministry ordered local government offices to establish a prostitution service for Allied occupation soldiers to preserve the "purity" of the "Japanese race." The official declaration stated that:

Through the sacrifice of thousands of "Okichis" of the Shōwa era, we shall construct a dike to hold back the mad frenzy of the occupation troops and cultivate and preserve the purity of our race long into the future... [21]

Such clubs were soon established by cabinet councillor Yoshio Kodama and Ryoichi Sasakawa.[ citation needed ]

In post-war Japan, the Socialist Party proposed the Eugenic Protection Law ( ja:優生保護法 , Yūsei Hogo Hō) which was enacted in 1948 to replace the National Eugenic Law of 1940. [22] The main provisions allowed for the surgical sterilization of women, when the woman, her spouse, or family member within the 4th degree of kinship had a serious genetic disorder, and where pregnancy would endanger the life of the woman. The operation did not require consent of the woman and her spouse, but the approval of the Prefectural Eugenic Protection Council. Therefore, this law violated the right to a person's autonomy. [23]

The law also allowed for abortion for pregnancies in the cases of rape, leprosy, hereditarily-transmitted disease, or if the physician determined that the fetus would not be viable outside of the womb. Again, the consent of the woman and her spouse were not necessary. Birth control guidance and implementation was restricted to doctors, nurses and professional midwives accredited by the Prefectural government. The law was also amended in May 1949 to allow abortions for economic reasons at the sole discretion of the doctor, which in effect fully legalized abortion in Japan. [23]

Despite the unambiguous wording of the law, the law was used by local authorities as justification for measures enforcing forced sterilization and abortions upon people with certain genetic disorders, as well as leprosy, as well as an excuse for legalized discrimination against people with physical and mental handicaps. [24] [25]

Abolition of eugenics laws

Laws that decreed compulsory sterilization of the disabled were abolished with the approval of the Mother's Body Protection Law ((母体保護法 ) on June 18, 1996. [24] [ dead link ] Victims are to be paid a compensation in 2019. [26]

Leprosy policies

The Leprosy Prevention laws of 1907, 1931 and 1953, the last one only repealed in 1996, permitted the segregation of patients in sanitaria where forced abortions and sterilization were common, even if the laws did not refer to it, and authorized punishment of patients "disturbing peace" as most Japanese leprologists believed that vulnerability to the disease was inheritable. [27]

There were a few Japanese leprologists such as Noburo Ogasawara who argued against the "isolation-sterilization policy" but he was denounced as a traitor to the nation at the 15th Conference of the Japanese Association of Leprology in 1941. [28] Under the colonial Korean Leprosy prevention ordinance, Korean patients were also subjected to hard labor. [29]

In postwar Japan, the Eugenic Protection Law (優生保護法, Yūsei Hogo Hō) was enacted in 1948 to replace the National Eugenic Law of 1940. The indications of the Eugenic Protection Law included leprosy. This condition discontinued when the law changed into the Women's Body Protection Law.

See also

Related Research Articles

Compulsory sterilization Government policies which force people to undergo surgical sterilization

Compulsory sterilization, also known as forced or coerced sterilization, is a term which is used in reference to government-mandated programs which bring about the sterilization of people. Several countries implemented sterilization programs in the early 20th century. Although such programs have been made illegal in most countries of the world, instances of forced or coerced sterilizations persist.

Tarō Yamamoto Japanese politician and former actor

Tarō Yamamoto is a Japanese politician and former actor, who is the founder and current leader of the anti-establishment political party Reiwa Shinsengumi. Yamamoto served as a member of the House of Councillors from 2013 to 2019 and was a candidate in the 2020 Tokyo gubernatorial election.

Kohki Abe is a Japanese human rights professor and activist. He is dean of the law school at Kanagawa University in Japan.

Wasei-kango are those words in the Japanese language composed of Chinese morphemes but invented in Japan rather than borrowed from China. Such terms are generally written using kanji and read according to the on'yomi pronunciations of the characters. While many words belong to the shared Sino-Japanese vocabulary, some kango do not exist in Chinese while others have a substantially different meaning from Chinese; however some words have been borrowed back to Chinese.

Miyuki Ishikawa


Japan–Manchukuo Protocol

The Japan–Manchukuo Protocol (日満議定書) was signed on 15 September 1932, between Japan and the state of Manchukuo. The Treaty confirmed the recognition by Japan of the Manchukuo state, following the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931, and the establishment of a Manchurian state on 1 March 1932. The treaty also defined a mutual defence agreement, allowing Japanese troops to station in Manchukuo, and thereby effectively occupy the country.

The history of eugenics is the study of development and advocacy of ideas related to eugenics around the world. Early eugenic ideas were discussed in Ancient Greece and Rome. The height of the modern eugenics movement came in the late 19th and early 20th century. Today eugenics continues to be a topic of political and social debate.

Futsukaichi Rest Home Former medical facility in Japan

Futsukaichi Rest Home was a specialized medical facility located in the town of Futsukaichi, Japan, set up in 1946 by the Ministry of Welfare after World War II. It operated for 1.5 years and performed abortions before they were legalized in 1947, and treated sexually transmitted diseases in victims of rape who were repatriated from China or Korea.

Adire Legal Professional Corporation is a Japanese law firm.

Article 96 of the Japanese Constitution is a clause in the national Constitution of Japan specifying the process for making amendments. Details of the process is determined by the Diet Act and the Act on Procedures for Amendment of the Constitution of Japan.　The Constitution has remained unchanged since coming into effect on May 3, 1947, and many politicians are calling for a revision of Article 96 so that they can begin revising other, more central Articles.

Istanbul Japanese School is a Japanese international school located in Etiler, Beşiktaş, Istanbul, Turkey.

Haru Kuroki

Haru Kuroki is a Japanese actress. She gained international recognition by winning Silver Bear at Berlin International Film Festival in 2014, for her performance in Yoji Yamada's film The Little House.

The Nobel Peace Prize for Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution (憲法9条にノーベル平和賞を) is a social movement whose aim is to push for the Nobel Peace Prize to be awarded to the citizens of Japan for maintaining the country's post-war Constitution, especially Article 9.

Maika Yamamoto Japanese actress, fashion model ,and television personality

Maika Yamamoto is a Japanese actress, TV personality, and fashion model. She is known for her roles as Kaede Kayano in Assassination Classroom, Chiyomi Horikiri in the 2015 television drama Minami-kun no Koibito, and Mizuki Kurata in the 2018 film adaptation of the manga series After the Rain, among others.

Keizō Takagi is a Japanese writer, journalist, educator, and cultural anthropologist, folklorist, and sociologist whose research focuses on expatriate Chinese communities.

Zhao Yusong

Zhao Yusong was a journalist and politician of the Republic of China. He was born in Guizhou. He served as in the collaborationist government of Wang Jingwei in Nanjing. After the downfall of Wang's government in August 1945, Zhao fled to Hong Kong. He died in Tokyo, Japan.

Kaname Endo is a Japanese actor. His real former stage name is Shiro Komiya.


  1. Otsubo S, Bartholomew JR (1998). "Eugenics in Japan: some ironies of modernity, 1883–1945". Sci Context. 11 (3–4): 545–65. doi:10.1017/s0269889700003203. PMID   15168677.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Robertson, Jennifer (2002). "Blood talks: Eugenic modernity and the creation of new Japanese" (PDF). Hist Anthropol Chur. 13 (3): 191–216. doi:10.1080/0275720022000025547. PMID   19499628. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-12-09. Retrieved 2008-06-22.
  4. Rihito Kimura. "Jurisprudence in Genetics". Waseda University. Retrieved 2007-04-18.
  5. 1 2 Kiyoshi Hiroshima (October 1981). "Essay on the history of population policy in modern Japan (2): Population policy on quality and quantity in National Eugenic Law" (PDF). Jinko Mondai Kenkyu (in Japanese) (160): 61–77. PMID   12155095.
  6. 日本神道の革命. 大日本新思想学会. 1961.
  7. Hiroshima 1981, p. 73
  8. Otsubo, Sumiko (April 2005). "Between Two Worlds: Yamanouchi Shigeo and Eugenics in Early Twentieth-Century Japan". Annals of Science. 62 (2): 205–231. doi:10.1080/0003379031000091608. PMID   15789487.
  9. Robertson 2002 , p. 192
  10. 1 2 3 Robertson 2002 , p. 196
  11. 中村 桂子・米本 昌平 「現代社会と遺伝学――第二世代に入る遺伝操作論争」 『世界』 March 1980
  12. 1 2 Robertson 2002 , p. 206
  13. Japanese Society of Health and Human Ecology - Outline of society (Japanese)
  14. Robertson 2002 , p. 205
  15. John W. Dower, War Without Mercy: Race & Power in the Pacific War p270 ISBN   0-394-50030-X
  17. Times of change | The Japan Times Online
  18. 優生問題を考える（四）──国民優生法と優生保護法 Archived 2006-12-30 at the Wayback Machine Matsubara Yoko - Research of Eugenics problem (Professor of Ritsumeikan University, researcher of Gender-blind and Eugenics.)
  19. 牧野千代蔵「断種法反対論」『優生学』第一五年四号［神国日本の歴史的秩序を尊重、断種法のような人為的介入は、人間を動物視するものだ] Makino Chiyozou "Opposite sterilization law" (1935) [It is necessary to esteem historical order of god country Japan. Artificial intervention like Eugenics is an act that considers man to be an animal.]
  20. 民族衛生(1946) Nagai Hisomu "敗因は科学の精神の閑却　民族衛生学の役割は重要　資質優れたものを前線に送りだしのに反して　劣弱なる素質者は，悠々結婚して，子供を産み得る点に於て，由々敷逆淘汰であり…"
  22. Gordon, Postwar Japan as History, pp.306
  23. 1 2 Sugimoto, An Introduction to Japanese Society, pp.167
  24. 1 2 "Former Hansen's disease patients shun return to society, survey shows". The Japan Times. May 2001. Retrieved 2007-10-19.
  25. Hovhannisyan, Astghik (2018). "Ōta Tenrei's defense of birth control, eugenics and euthanasia". Contemporary Japan. 30 (1): 28–42. doi:10.1080/18692729.2018.1424261.
  26. Victims of forced sterilisation in Japan to receive compensation and apology The guardian, 2019
  27. Michio Miyasaka, A Historical and Ethical Analysis of Leprosy Control Policy in Japan, "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-11-13. Retrieved 2011-11-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  28. Michio Miyasaka Archived 2011-11-13 at the Wayback Machine
  29. Korean Hansens patients seek redress,