Departures of note

Miyoji Morimoto was a Japanese leprosy (Hansen's disease) survivor and human-rights activist. Born in Kagoshima Prefecture, he developed the disease as a middle-school student and entered a sanatorium. He later graduated from Keio University and worked at a credit union, but when the disease recurred he returned to the sanatorium, eventually serving as chairman of the residents' self-governing association at the National Leprosy Sanatorium Tama Zenshoen in Tokyo's Higashimurayama city.

After the Leprosy Prevention Law was abolished in 1996, Morimoto became a plaintiff in the lawsuit seeking state compensation for the forced-isolation policy, publicly testifying about his experiences and devoting himself to the movement for restoring the human rights of former patients. He also founded IDEA Japan, an international exchange organization for leprosy survivors, through which he built ties with recovered patients overseas.

Morimoto died on 16 August 2026 at the age of 88 from malignant lymphoma.