Japan’s top court has ruled that a defunct eugenics law, under which thousands of people were forcibly sterilised between 1948 and 1996, is unconstitutional.

Eugenics was practiced in the US and Sweden, from the early part of the 20th century, and inspired similar programs in Nazi-Germany from the mid-1930s.

Japan’s government acknowledges that around 16,500 people were forcibly sterilised under the law that aimed to “prevent the generation of poor quality descendants”.

An additional 8,500 people were sterilised with their consent, although lawyers say even those cases were likely “de facto forced” because of the pressure individuals faced.

The Supreme Court also declared that a 20-year statute of limitations could not be applied, paving the way for compensation claims from victims after years of legal battles.