January 21, 2008 -- A measure to provide relief to people who contracted hepatitis C from tainted blood products was enacted into law Jan. 11 after its passage by the House of Councillors.

The more powerful House of Representatives passed the bill on Jan. 8. Under the law, if people can prove in a court of law that they were infected with hepatitis C by the tainted blood products, they will qualify for individual compensation payments ranging from 12 million yen to 40 million yen, depending on the seriousness of their condition.The affected people have a five-year period to make their claim.

Hepatitis C sufferers had filed a number of damages suits against the government and drug makers. The number of plaintiffs is currently around 200. The tainted blood products were administered from around 1970 to the early 1990s.

The bill was originally written by the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito but was submitted to incorporate also the opposition parties.