Japan lawmakers OK plan to compensate kin of former leprosy patients

A group of Japanese lawmakers approved a plan on Thursday to provide up to 1.8 million yen ($16,600) each in compensation to family members of former leprosy patients.The group of ruling and opposition party lawmakers will finalize a bill and submit it to the ongoing extraordinary Diet session, paving the way for compensation to be paid over the discrimination and prejudice suffered by the kin of leprosy patients under the government's decades-long segregation policy.According to the plan, the government will pay 1.8 million yen each to parents, children and spouses of former leprosy patien…READ FULL ARTICLE