World · East Asia & Pacific · 17 hrs ago
Japan's Hansen's disease survivors resume storytelling after decade-long pause
Four elderly Hansen's disease survivors are sharing their stories again at a museum in Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture, Japan.
The program resumed in January after about a decade without sessions, following visitors' requests to hear directly from people affected.
Satoshi Kasai, now 82, was diagnosed at 14 and entered a sanatorium in 1959.
He changed his surname to protect his family from discrimination but kept his given name to stay connected to his past.
After treatment, he left the sanatorium, but his symptoms returned and he later moved in and out of the facility while working as a truck driver.
Prejudice shaped his work and daily life, including his decision to hide his illness and avoid crowded places.
The program had paused as residents aged and during the COVID-19 pandemic; eight sessions had taken place by the end of August.
Kasai says he hopes visitors will understand the past and present of the disease and the hardships residents faced.
Four elderly residents have resumed sharing their experiences of Hansen’s disease at a museum in Gunma Prefecture, Japan.
The storytelling sessions restarted in January after a hiatus of about a decade.
The program resumed after visitors asked to hear directly from people affected by the disease.
Satoshi Kasai, 82, is among the speakers and says he hopes to raise awareness of prejudice against people with Hansen’s disease.
Eight sessions had been held by the end of August.
- Who
- Four elderly residents, including 82-year-old Satoshi Kasai, are sharing their experiences.
- What
- A storytelling program at a museum has resumed after a hiatus of about a decade.
- When
- The sessions resumed in January; eight had been held by the end of August.
- Where
- The Jyu-kanbo National Museum of Detention for Hansen's Disease Patients, next to the National Sanatorium Kuriu Rakusenen in Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture, Japan.
- Why
- Visitors asked to hear directly from people affected by the disease. The program aims to raise awareness of the prejudice they faced.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Kasai was diagnosed with Hansen's disease.
Kasai entered a sanatorium after graduating from junior high school.
After responding well to treatment, Kasai left the sanatorium and joined Japan's Self-Defense Forces.
The museum's storytelling sessions resumed after a hiatus of about a decade.
Kasai spoke for nearly an hour to 10 visitors at a gathering.
- Participants
- Four residents in their 80s and 90s
- Museum
- Jyu-kanbo National Museum of Detention for Hansen's Disease Patients
- Location
- Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture, Japan
- Program resumed
- January, after a hiatus of about a decade
- Sessions held
- Eight by the end of August
- Kasai's age
- 82
What people are saying
I want as many people as possible to understand the past and present of Hansen's disease.
I want people to feel the presence of those who lived here and suffered because of Hansen's disease.
Hearing someone speak about what they actually went through