of faces in publications might cause trouble to their families and relatives.

In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs claimed that the governmentís segregation policy that required the isolation of the Hansenís disease victims from the rest of the society, was the worst and longest-lasting violation of their human rights under the Japanese Constitution, preventing them even suing the Government at the time the policy was in force.

In their í98 lawsuit, the plaintiffs sued the Government as what they called a ďHuman Being Revival Court,Ē for compensation for their lost lives because of discrimination, prejudice and segregation

On May 11, the Japanese government was ordered by the Kumamoto District Court to pay •1.82 billion in compensation to 127 former Hansen's disease patients

Initially, some government officials suggested creating a reconciliation plan and anappeal for the courtsí decision. Officials emphasized that filing an appeal would not mean that the government did not accept the judgment. Especially, officials at the Ministry of Health claimed that the decision at the time was legal and the Ministry of Finance was also pushing the cabinet toward an appeal, as the Finance Ministry officials were wary of the possibility of having to spend large amounts of money for the eventual compensation. However, Health Minister Chikara Sakaguchi, a senior member of the ruling coalition's second-biggest party, New Komeito, threatened to resign if the government decided to appeal. He strongly suggested, as his personal opinion that the government should forgo the appeal and apologize to the plaintiffs. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi who made the final decision had reportedly