Exhibition spotlights foreign-rooted residents in Japan's leprosy sanatoriums

An exhibition currently on display at the National Hansen's Disease Museum in Higashimurayama, a city in Tokyo, is highlighting the residents of Japan's leprosy sanatoriums who have foreign roots. These residents include ethnic Koreans, as well as those with ties to Russia and Indonesia. Japan once had a quarantine policy for Hansen's disease patients, forcing them into sanatoriums.

This policy persisted even after the introduction of effective therapeutic drugs, leading to significant human rights violations and social prejudice, with patients and their families continuing to face discrimination.

Japan currently manages 13 national sanatoriums, providing medical treatment and daily support to older residents. Prior to Japan's defeat in World War II in 1945, the country operated sanatoriums in Korea, Taiwan, and several islands in the Pacific, including Saipan, Jaluit, Yap, and Palau.

Korean residents made up an average of 4% to 6% of the sanatorium population, with the percentage exceeding 10% in some facilities. At Tama Zenshoen in Higashimurayama, records show that three Korean residents erected 120 utility poles in just one week. The exhibition features shovels and other tools used in these civil engineering projects.

Korean residents also played a crucial role in advocating for pension rights from 1959 onwards. The exhibition showcases traditional Korean attire worn by a dance group, musical instruments, and literary works. Notable among the displays is a handwritten poem by Constantine Troutscheff (1928-2006), a Kobe-born poet and third-generation descendant of an aristocratic family that sought asylum in Japan during the Russian Revolution.

The exhibition also delves into the experiences of residents with roots in Russia and Indonesia. Constantine Troutscheff, who sought refuge in Japan during the Russian Revolution, is introduced through a newly discovered handwritten poem on display for the first time.

An Indonesian woman, born to an Indonesian mother and a Japanese father who was a civilian employee of the former Japanese military, contracted Hansen's disease while studying in Japan after World War II. She subsequently entered a sanatorium. At Tama Zenshoen, the exhibition records a single resident from Taiwan during the three-year period from 1955, though none of the residents recalled this individual from Taiwan.

There were reportedly international students from various countries, including India, Thailand, Brazil, Vietnam, and the Philippines, who stayed for short periods and did not appear in admission records.

The history of Japan's sanatoriums is also a story of people from diverse backgrounds living together in Japanese society. Curator Tetsuya Kimura hopes that this exhibition will encourage reflection on a society where individuals can coexist beyond the boundaries of nationality and ethnicity. The exhibition runs until November 29, with free admission. The museum is generally closed on Mondays, and visitors can contact the museum at 042-396-2909 for any inquiries.