Japan's 'leprosy island': The dark history of Nagashima
Summary
In the 1930s, Japan isolated people with leprosy by sending them to sanatoriums, including one on Nagashima island. Forced confinement of patients, even after they were cured, continued until 1996. Today, only a few elderly survivors remain on Nagashima.Key Facts
- Leprosy is a disease that harms nerves and causes body deformities.
- Japan isolated leprosy patients in special hospitals to stop the disease from spreading.
- Nagashima island was one place where patients were sent and kept.
- Medical treatments for leprosy began in the late 1940s.
- Despite cures, patients were forced to stay confined until 1996.
- The policy of forced quarantine ended 30 years ago.
- Most survivors who lived through this period are very old today.
- Journalists recently interviewed one of the remaining former patients on Nagashima.
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