Hepatitis bill likely to win passage

A bill on hepatitis drafted by the ruling Democratic Party of Japan is expected to be passed during the current Diet session, DPJ lawmakers said Thursday.

The bill says the government was responsible for the spread of hepatitis, and it is its duty to establish systems of research and treatment of the disease.

Referring to hepatitis as the "most widely transmitted disease in the country," the draft bill says the government has admitted it was responsible for causing the spread of hepatitis C through the use of tainted blood products.

It also noted courts' finalized decisions that held the government responsible for the spread of hepatitis B, which was caused by using the same needles to vaccinate many people.

The DPJ will try to get the bill passed for an estimated 3.5 million or more hepatitis B and C patients with a unanimous vote, the party's lawmakers said.

New Komeito has also compiled a draft bill on hepatitis that is almost the same as that of the DPJ.

The Liberal Democratic Party and the Japanese Communist Party, the main opposition forces, are not expected to oppose the bills, the lawmakers said.

The previous LDP-New Komeito ruling coalition had submitted a bill to address the issue, while the DPJ and three other opposition parties had submitted another bill on subsidizing patients for their medical expenses.

However, the bills were scrapped when the House of Representatives was dissolved in July for the Aug. 30 general election.

DPJ lawmaker Eriko Fukuda, who had led a group of hepatitis C patients in a lawsuit against the government, said: "We have advanced to a stage where we can make adjustments (with other parties). In order to save lives that can be saved, we will go ahead by trying to obtain cooperation (from other parties)."