The Paradox of Welfare and Eugenic Ideology : Focusing on 'Movement to Prevent the Birth of Unhappy Children' in 1970s Japan

This paper investigates the paradoxical mechanism by which welfare policy aligned with eugenic thought, utilizing an analysis of Japan’s “Movement to Prevent the Birth of Unfortunate Children” during the 1970s. Initiated by Hyogo Prefecture, this movement legitimized policies aimed at preventing the birth of children with disabilities by framing them as welfare measures. Specifically, it supported prenatal diagnostic tools, such as amniocentesis, through the allocation of public local government funds. Administrative authorities rationalized these eugenic practices by portraying children with disabilities as a strain on welfare finances (social costs), and by masking their exclusion within the rhetoric of “preventing misfortune”—specifically, the mitigation of family suffering. In opposition, “Aoi Shiba no Kai” advanced a robust anti-eugenic argument. They asserted that the intrinsic worth of a disabled person's life cannot be quantified by external evaluations or social cost analyses. They denounced society’s rejection of disabled existence as the “egoism of non-disabled people.” In conclusion, this movement exemplifies the transition to a “new eugenics,” wherein eugenic practices evolved from state coercion to social pressure concealed as individual choice.