Astghik Hovhannesyan, a lecturer at the Department of World History and Regional Studies at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of RAU, participated in the international symposium “Disability in Japan,” held at the Japanese Studies Centre at Monash University (Melbourne, Australia) on April 23.

 

The symposium gathered leading experts from the USA, Australia, France, Japan, and other countries to discuss key aspects of the history of eugenics, disability, and social movements in Japan. Astghik Hovhannesyan gave a presentation on the history of the Eugenic Protection Law and the illegal practice of hysterectomy in Japan.

 

“When I was a graduate student in Japan, I studied the history of eugenics, particularly the Eugenic Protection Law, which was in effect from 1948 to 1996 and allowed for the forced sterilization of people with various disabilities. When I completed my graduate studies in 2017, this topic suddenly became very relevant, as many of those affected filed lawsuits against the state in 2018 and won in 2024. Hysterectomy to stop menstruation in women with disabilities was illegal, but it was often performed under the aforementioned law. In my presentation, I spoke about how the movement of women with disabilities contributed to challenging and putting an end to this practice in the 1970s and 1980s,” she shared.

 

It is worth noting that Astghik Hovhannesyan expressed special gratitude to Monash University, particularly to Alison Darby, for organizing the symposium, as well as to the Japanese Studies Association of Australia (JSAA) for their financial support.

 

 

 

Translated by Diana Adamyan,    
I year Master’s Student in Translation & Interpretation, RAU