Matsuoka Hoyoen Sanatorium
Introduction The  or '''National Sanatorium Matsuoka Hoyoen''' is a sanatorium for leprosy and ex-leprosy patients situated in Aomori, Aomori, Japan that opened in 1909.
History The Japanese Government promulgated the first leprosy prevention law on March 19, 1907, which took effect on April 1, 1909.Japan was divided into 5 areas. The second area included Hokkaido, Miyagi Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Aomori Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture, Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture. In this area, Aomori was selected for the sanatorium.Foreigners who came into Japan after the Meiji Restoration(1868) were surprised to find leprosy patients in public areas in Japan. The Japanese Government was worried about the many leprosy patients among those who were examined for the draft at age 20.===Timeline===* April 1, 1909: Prefectural Hokubu (Northern) Hoyoin was established in Aburakawa Village Aomori-shi with 90 beds. * October 1, 1909: It moved to the present site. * July 1, 1941: National Sanatorium Matsuoka Hoyo-en. * 1958: The number of allotted beds reached 950. * April 1996: The 1953 Leprosy Prevention Law was abolished. * July 1998: The trial for compensation started. * May 11, 2001: The trial for compensation ruled that the previous Leprosy Prevention Law was unconstitutional. * May 25, 2001: The trial for compensation was completed. Compensation of 8-14 million yen were given to patients depending on the duration of their confinement.
Number of patients The following table shows the number of patients held at the Sanatorium in selected years. Year Number of in-patients 1945 711 1950 605 1955 710 1960 719 1965 674 1970 598 1975 552 1980 495 1985 440 1990 384 1995 312 1999 261 2003 205 2004 189 2005 176 2006 161 2007 152 2008 147
See also * Leprosy in Japan
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