Ursula von der Leyen has been reelected to a second five-year term as president of the European Commission after a vote by EU lawmakers, as the continent’s mainstream seeks to reassert itself in the face of a resurgent far right.

In an earlier pitch to the European parliament in Strasbourg, France, von der Leyen on Thursday pledged to invest in infrastructure and industry, create a new “European Defense Union” and stay the course on the continent’s green transition.

After a secret ballot, von der Leyen was reelected with 401 votes in favor and 284 against. She needed more than 360 ballots to secure a majority in the 720-seat parliament.

Von der Leyen, who led the commission through the Covid-19 pandemic and the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, will now preside over a bloc that shifted rightward after last month’s European elections, when far-right parties won a record number of seats.

Addressing the parliament before the lunchtime vote, von der Leyen said the next five years of her term “will define Europe’s place in the world for the next five decades. It will decide whether we shape our own future or let it be shaped by events or by others.”

Von der Leyen, a 65-year-old German national, was parachuted into the presidential candidacy process as a compromise candidate in 2019, but has since become one of Europe’s most solid pillars. Several of the continent’s other leaders – from Germany’s former Chancellor Angela Merkel to French President Emmanuel Macron – have retired or been weakened by domestic politics.

Von der Leyen’s own position was somewhat diminished by last month’s election, which saw a surge in support for the far right and saw Brussels’ center ground shrink.

Her reelection was not certain but widely expected, after she was proposed by EU leaders and could rely on the support of her center-right European People’s Party (EPP), as well as the center-left Socialist and Democrats (S&D) and liberal Renew blocs. Shortly before Thursday’s vote, the Green bloc also announced it would support her.

Earlier Thursday, von der Leyen published a 31-page policy proposal, setting out her priorities if she won a second term.

Echoing remarks she made after last month’s vote, she stressed “it is essential that the democratic center in Europe holds” in the face of resurgent extremes, calling on mainstream parties to “live up to the scale of the concerns and the challenges that people face in their lives.”

Von der Leyen pledged to “turbo charge investment” needed by cash-strapped EU governments for their “green, digital and social transition.”

She also vowed to create a European Defense Union and appoint a commissioner for defense, a new role for the bloc that was forged in peacetime but has since had to respond to Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine, and the prospect of a Donald Trump-led United States retreating from the world stage.

Under the proposed new defense union, member states will retain responsibility for their own troops, but will work more closely with others to “coordinate efforts to strengthen the defense industrial base.” She also proposed a Europe-wide air defense system and cyber protection measures.

Speaking in Strasbourg before her reelection, von der Leyen said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s recent trip to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin was “an appeasement mission,” and pledged to maintain EU support for Ukraine.

Von der Leyen’s reelection comes a day after the EU’s second-highest court delivered an unusual rebuke to the commission, ruling it was not transparent enough about the contracts it signed for Covid-19 vaccines during the pandemic.

Ursula von der Leyen has been reelected to a second five-year term as president of the European Commission after a vote by EU lawmakers, as the continent’s mainstream seeks to reassert itself in the face of a resurgent far right.

In an earlier pitch to the European parliament in Strasbourg, France, von der Leyen on Thursday pledged to invest in infrastructure and industry, create a new “European Defense Union” and stay the course on the continent’s green transition.

After a secret ballot, von der Leyen was reelected with 401 votes in favor and 284 against. She needed more than 360 ballots to secure a majority in the 720-seat parliament.

Von der Leyen, who led the commission through the Covid-19 pandemic and the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, will now preside over a bloc that shifted rightward after last month’s European elections, when far-right parties won a record number of seats.

Addressing the parliament before the lunchtime vote, von der Leyen said the next five years of her term “will define Europe’s place in the world for the next five decades. It will decide whether we shape our own future or let it be shaped by events or by others.”

Von der Leyen, a 65-year-old German national, was parachuted into the presidential candidacy process as a compromise candidate in 2019, but has since become one of Europe’s most solid pillars. Several of the continent’s other leaders – from Germany’s former Chancellor Angela Merkel to French President Emmanuel Macron – have retired or been weakened by domestic politics.

Von der Leyen’s own position was somewhat diminished by last month’s election, which saw a surge in support for the far right and saw Brussels’ center ground shrink.

Her reelection was not certain but widely expected, after she was proposed by EU leaders and could rely on the support of her center-right European People’s Party (EPP), as well as the center-left Socialist and Democrats (S&D) and liberal Renew blocs. Shortly before Thursday’s vote, the Green bloc also announced it would support her.

Earlier Thursday, von der Leyen published a 31-page policy proposal, setting out her priorities if she won a second term.

Echoing remarks she made after last month’s vote, she stressed “it is essential that the democratic center in Europe holds” in the face of resurgent extremes, calling on mainstream parties to “live up to the scale of the concerns and the challenges that people face in their lives.”

Von der Leyen pledged to “turbo charge investment” needed by cash-strapped EU governments for their “green, digital and social transition.”

She also vowed to create a European Defense Union and appoint a commissioner for defense, a new role for the bloc that was forged in peacetime but has since had to respond to Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine, and the prospect of a Donald Trump-led United States retreating from the world stage.

Under the proposed new defense union, member states will retain responsibility for their own troops, but will work more closely with others to “coordinate efforts to strengthen the defense industrial base.” She also proposed a Europe-wide air defense system and cyber protection measures.

Speaking in Strasbourg before her reelection, von der Leyen said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s recent trip to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin was “an appeasement mission,” and pledged to maintain EU support for Ukraine.

Von der Leyen’s reelection comes a day after the EU’s second-highest court delivered an unusual rebuke to the commission, ruling it was not transparent enough about the contracts it signed for Covid-19 vaccines during the pandemic.

Ursula von der Leyen has been reelected to a second five-year term as president of the European Commission after a vote by EU lawmakers, as the continent’s mainstream seeks to reassert itself in the face of a resurgent far right.

In an earlier pitch to the European parliament in Strasbourg, France, von der Leyen on Thursday pledged to invest in infrastructure and industry, create a new “European Defense Union” and stay the course on the continent’s green transition.

After a secret ballot, von der Leyen was reelected with 401 votes in favor and 284 against. She needed more than 360 ballots to secure a majority in the 720-seat parliament.

Von der Leyen, who led the commission through the Covid-19 pandemic and the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, will now preside over a bloc that shifted rightward after last month’s European elections, when far-right parties won a record number of seats.

Addressing the parliament before the lunchtime vote, von der Leyen said the next five years of her term “will define Europe’s place in the world for the next five decades. It will decide whether we shape our own future or let it be shaped by events or by others.”

Von der Leyen, a 65-year-old German national, was parachuted into the presidential candidacy process as a compromise candidate in 2019, but has since become one of Europe’s most solid pillars. Several of the continent’s other leaders – from Germany’s former Chancellor Angela Merkel to French President Emmanuel Macron – have retired or been weakened by domestic politics.

Von der Leyen’s own position was somewhat diminished by last month’s election, which saw a surge in support for the far right and saw Brussels’ center ground shrink.

Her reelection was not certain but widely expected, after she was proposed by EU leaders and could rely on the support of her center-right European People’s Party (EPP), as well as the center-left Socialist and Democrats (S&D) and liberal Renew blocs. Shortly before Thursday’s vote, the Green bloc also announced it would support her.

Earlier Thursday, von der Leyen published a 31-page policy proposal, setting out her priorities if she won a second term.

Echoing remarks she made after last month’s vote, she stressed “it is essential that the democratic center in Europe holds” in the face of resurgent extremes, calling on mainstream parties to “live up to the scale of the concerns and the challenges that people face in their lives.”

Von der Leyen pledged to “turbo charge investment” needed by cash-strapped EU governments for their “green, digital and social transition.”

She also vowed to create a European Defense Union and appoint a commissioner for defense, a new role for the bloc that was forged in peacetime but has since had to respond to Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine, and the prospect of a Donald Trump-led United States retreating from the world stage.

Under the proposed new defense union, member states will retain responsibility for their own troops, but will work more closely with others to “coordinate efforts to strengthen the defense industrial base.” She also proposed a Europe-wide air defense system and cyber protection measures.

Speaking in Strasbourg before her reelection, von der Leyen said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s recent trip to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin was “an appeasement mission,” and pledged to maintain EU support for Ukraine.

Von der Leyen’s reelection comes a day after the EU’s second-highest court delivered an unusual rebuke to the commission, ruling it was not transparent enough about the contracts it signed for Covid-19 vaccines during the pandemic.

Germany plans to halve its military aid to Ukraine next year, despite concerns that US support for Kyiv could potentially diminish if Republican candidate Donald Trump returns to the White House.

German aid to Ukraine will be cut to €4 billion ($4.35 billion) in 2025 from around €8 billion in 2024, according to a draft of the 2025 budget seen by Reuters.

Germany hopes Ukraine will be able to meet the bulk of its military needs with the $50 billion in loans from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets approved by the Group of Seven, and that funds earmarked for armaments will not be fully used.

“Ukraine’s financing is secured for the foreseeable future thanks to European instruments and the G7 loans,” German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Wednesday at a news conference.

Washington pushed to “front load” the loans to give Ukraine a big lump sum now.

Officials say EU leaders agreed to the idea in part because it reduces the chance of Ukraine being short of funds if Trump returns to the White House.

Alarm bells rang across Europe this week after Trump picked Senator JD Vance, who opposes military aid for Ukraine and warned Europe will have to rely less on the United States to defend the continent, as his candidate for vice president.

Trump sparked fierce criticism from Western officials for suggesting he would not protect countries that failed to meet the transatlantic military alliance’s defense spending targets and would even encourage Russia to attack them.

Germany has faced criticism for repeatedly missing a NATO target of spending 2% of its economic output on defense.

Depleted military stocks

The stocks of Germany’s armed forces, already run down by decades of underinvestment, have been further depleted by arms supplies to Kyiv.

So far, Berlin has donated three Patriot air defense units to Kyiv, more than any other country, bringing down the number of Patriot systems in Germany to nine.

Germany’s fractious coalition of left-leaning Social Democrats, pro-business liberals and ecologist Greens has struggled to comply with NATO’s spending target due to self-imposed rules that limit the amount of state borrowing they can take on.

Although military aid to Ukraine will be cut, Germany will comply with the NATO target of spending 2% of GDP on defense in 2025, with a total of €75.3 billion.

Days after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a “Zeitenwende” – German for historic turning point – with a €100 billion special fund to bring the military up to speed.

From this special fund, there will be €22.0 billion more for defense, plus €53.3 billion in the regular budget, still less than that sought by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.

The defense budget is set to receive a meagre €1.3 billion more than in 2024, far below the €6.7 billion requested by Pistorius.

As ever-increasing annual operating costs outpace this rise, the defense ministry is being forced to cut ammunition orders for 2025 by more than half, reduce procurement by €260 million and research and development by over €200 million.

The budget for 2025 comes with the mid-term financial planning until 2028, the year when the armed forces’ special fund to meet NATO’s minimum spending goals is due to run out and 80 billion will be needed for defense, as noted in the financial plan.

In 2028, there is a gap of €39 billion in the regular budget, of which €28 billion are needed to comply with the NATO target without the special fund, sources from the finance ministry said.

Decisions on how the hole will be plugged are not likely to be taken until after the 2025 election.

“The 80 billion euros that have been put on display for 2028 simply do not exist,” said Ingo Gaedechens, member of the parliament’s budget committee from the conservative opposition party CDU.

“The coalition is not even trying to cover this up but are openly admitting it.”

A Wall Street Journal reporter in Hong Kong said she was fired after being elected to lead a press union that has come under attack by Beijing amid a national security crackdown.

Selina Cheng, who was elected chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) on June 22, said in a statement posted Wednesday on X that she had been terminated from her job covering China’s car sector earlier in the day.

Her London-based supervisor at The Journal had asked her last month to withdraw from the election, she added.

“The editor said employees of the Journal should not be seen as advocating for press freedom in a place like Hong Kong, even though they can in Western countries, where it is already established,” Cheng said in the statement.

She quoted her supervisor as saying having Journal employees advocate for media freedoms would create conflicts of interest because the newspaper reports on related topics, including the ongoing trials of Hong Kong journalists and media organizations.

“I am disappointed if these editors abroad have come to think press freedom is a controversial issue, as those who wish to intimidate reporters might like us to believe,” she said. “It is not.”

The HKJA, a trade union established in 1968, has come under increasing pressure from authorities in recent years. Both Hong Kong officials and Beijing state media have accused it of siding with protesters during the anti-government demonstrations in 2019, a charge the association has denied.

For decades before the protests, the group was seen as a thriving symbol of Hong Kong’s cherished personal freedoms, which marked a sharp contrast with the highly regulated media landscape in mainland China.

But critics have increasingly bemoaned the territory’s shrinking press freedoms since Beijing imposed a national security on Hong Kong after the 2019 protests. They cite the closure of multiple news outlets and cases of editors being put on trial. Amid a wider crackdown on civil liberties, many opposition figures were rounded up to face trial, with civil groups forced to disband.

Cheng said Gordon Fairclough, The Journal’s world coverage chief, flew in from the UK to deliver her dismissal in person, explaining that her job had been eliminated due to restructuring.

“The Wall Street Journal has been and continues to be a fierce and vocal advocate for press freedom in Hong Kong and around the world,” he said.

For months, the newspaper has been running a worldwide campaign calling for the release of Evan Gershkovich, a Journal reporter who has been detained in Russia for more than a year accused of spying for the CIA.

“This is why I am deeply shocked that senior editors at the paper would actively violate their employees’ human rights, by preventing them from advocating for freedoms the Journal’s reporters rely on to work, in a place where journalists and their rights are under threat,” Cheng wrote.

She plans to continue to lead the HKJA.

A Wall Street Journal reporter in Hong Kong said she was fired after being elected to lead a press union that has come under attack by Beijing amid a national security crackdown.

Selina Cheng, who was elected chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) on June 22, said in a statement posted Wednesday on X that she had been terminated from her job covering China’s car sector earlier in the day.

Her London-based supervisor at The Journal had asked her last month to withdraw from the election, she added.

“The editor said employees of the Journal should not be seen as advocating for press freedom in a place like Hong Kong, even though they can in Western countries, where it is already established,” Cheng said in the statement.

She quoted her supervisor as saying having Journal employees advocate for media freedoms would create conflicts of interest because the newspaper reports on related topics, including the ongoing trials of Hong Kong journalists and media organizations.

“I am disappointed if these editors abroad have come to think press freedom is a controversial issue, as those who wish to intimidate reporters might like us to believe,” she said. “It is not.”

The HKJA, a trade union established in 1968, has come under increasing pressure from authorities in recent years. Both Hong Kong officials and Beijing state media have accused it of siding with protesters during the anti-government demonstrations in 2019, a charge the association has denied.

For decades before the protests, the group was seen as a thriving symbol of Hong Kong’s cherished personal freedoms, which marked a sharp contrast with the highly regulated media landscape in mainland China.

But critics have increasingly bemoaned the territory’s shrinking press freedoms since Beijing imposed a national security on Hong Kong after the 2019 protests. They cite the closure of multiple news outlets and cases of editors being put on trial. Amid a wider crackdown on civil liberties, many opposition figures were rounded up to face trial, with civil groups forced to disband.

Cheng said Gordon Fairclough, The Journal’s world coverage chief, flew in from the UK to deliver her dismissal in person, explaining that her job had been eliminated due to restructuring.

“The Wall Street Journal has been and continues to be a fierce and vocal advocate for press freedom in Hong Kong and around the world,” he said.

For months, the newspaper has been running a worldwide campaign calling for the release of Evan Gershkovich, a Journal reporter who has been detained in Russia for more than a year accused of spying for the CIA.

“This is why I am deeply shocked that senior editors at the paper would actively violate their employees’ human rights, by preventing them from advocating for freedoms the Journal’s reporters rely on to work, in a place where journalists and their rights are under threat,” Cheng wrote.

She plans to continue to lead the HKJA.

America’s two most powerful allies in the Pacific are taking their defense ties to new heights amid increasing concerns over China’s assertiveness in the region and North Korean threats, Japan’s top general said Thursday.

Before a trilateral meeting with US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. CQ Brown and South Korean Adm. Kim Myung-soo, Japanese Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida said China was trying to “change the status quo by force” in the East China and South China seas, while North Korea was carrying out “repeated ballistic missile launches and continuous arms transfers” to Russia.

Yoshida called on Japan, South Korea and the United States to “demonstrate our strong unity domestically and globally to ensure regional peace and stability.”

But bilateral cooperation between Japan and South Korea is the most noteworthy result of this week’s meeting in Tokyo.

On Wednesday, Yoshida met South Korea’s Kim for the first such meeting between the East Asian defense chiefs in six years – a moment a US defense official stressed was significant.

Kim said he and Yoshida “share a lot of the same thoughts,” an acknowledgment of the mutual perspective on the regional threat posed by China and North Korea.

“We developed strong trust between us,” said Yoshida, adding the meeting sets the stage for the Japan-South Korea bilateral “defense cooperation to achieve a new height.”

Regional analyst James Brown said the Japan-South Korea meeting showed just how far the bilateral relationship has come under South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who succeeded Moon Jae-in in 2022.

“The political mood has improved significantly, and now we’re having the defense side of things aligning with that,” said Brown, an associate professor of political science at Temple University in Tokyo.

“The Japanese government’s feeling about this is that this is the relationship they’ve always wanted.”

Japan felt the previous administration in Seoul was “fixated on historical issues” as it “demonized Japan” and tried to improve relations with North Korea, Brown said.

Last month, Japan and South Korea joined the US in the inaugural Freedom Edge in the Pacific, a military exercise that focused on ballistic missile and air defense, anti-submarine warfare and more. The goal of the exercise, which is set to expand in future years, was to allow the militaries to better work together against a common adversary.

For years, historical acrimony between the two East Asian countries prevented high-level meetings and cooperation, with decades of deep mistrust dating back to Japan’s colonial occupation of the Korean Peninsula a century ago. But as the countries faced an increasingly assertive China and threats from North Korea, efforts to cooperate quickly supplanted past animosity, driven in large part by the efforts of US President Joe Biden’s administration.

In March 2023, the two countries promised to resume ties at a fence-mending summit in Tokyo. Four months later, Biden hosted the leaders of Japan and South Korea at Camp David, where they pledged to “inaugurate a new era of trilateral partnership.”

Then last month, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met his Japanese and South Korean counterparts on the sidelines of a security conference in Singapore, where they announced joint military exercises – nearly unthinkable just a few years ago.

The trilateral meeting of the chiefs of defense at the Japanese Defense Ministry on Thursday, held for the first time in Tokyo, underscored the rapidly developing cooperation.

“I expect that the three of us sitting here in Tokyo today will send a message to the regional threats but also more globally on the strength of our relationship, our alliances, and the work that we need to continue to do,” said Gen. Brown, sitting alongside his counterparts at the beginning of the meeting.

The meeting comes on the heels of the NATO summit held last week in Washington, on the 75th anniversary of the alliance. The NATO communique specifically mentioned the importance of the Indo-Pacific, “given that developments in that region directly affect Euro-Atlantic security.”

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said there was some sense of urgency behind the rapidly developing cooperation. The East Asian nations, he said, want to triangulate a coordinated response to common adversaries before potential changes in Seoul or Washington could put the relationship in jeopardy.

“Domestic politics remain complicated in Seoul and Tokyo, but policymakers and military professionals want to lock in coordinated responses to North Korea, Russia, and China before any major political changes occur in Washington,” Easley said.

America’s two most powerful allies in the Pacific are taking their defense ties to new heights amid increasing concerns over China’s assertiveness in the region and North Korean threats, Japan’s top general said Thursday.

Before a trilateral meeting with US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. CQ Brown and South Korean Adm. Kim Myung-soo, Japanese Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida said China was trying to “change the status quo by force” in the East China and South China seas, while North Korea was carrying out “repeated ballistic missile launches and continuous arms transfers” to Russia.

Yoshida called on Japan, South Korea and the United States to “demonstrate our strong unity domestically and globally to ensure regional peace and stability.”

But bilateral cooperation between Japan and South Korea is the most noteworthy result of this week’s meeting in Tokyo.

On Wednesday, Yoshida met South Korea’s Kim for the first such meeting between the East Asian defense chiefs in six years – a moment a US defense official stressed was significant.

Kim said he and Yoshida “share a lot of the same thoughts,” an acknowledgment of the mutual perspective on the regional threat posed by China and North Korea.

“We developed strong trust between us,” said Yoshida, adding the meeting sets the stage for the Japan-South Korea bilateral “defense cooperation to achieve a new height.”

Regional analyst James Brown said the Japan-South Korea meeting showed just how far the bilateral relationship has come under South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who succeeded Moon Jae-in in 2022.

“The political mood has improved significantly, and now we’re having the defense side of things aligning with that,” said Brown, an associate professor of political science at Temple University in Tokyo.

“The Japanese government’s feeling about this is that this is the relationship they’ve always wanted.”

Japan felt the previous administration in Seoul was “fixated on historical issues” as it “demonized Japan” and tried to improve relations with North Korea, Brown said.

Last month, Japan and South Korea joined the US in the inaugural Freedom Edge in the Pacific, a military exercise that focused on ballistic missile and air defense, anti-submarine warfare and more. The goal of the exercise, which is set to expand in future years, was to allow the militaries to better work together against a common adversary.

For years, historical acrimony between the two East Asian countries prevented high-level meetings and cooperation, with decades of deep mistrust dating back to Japan’s colonial occupation of the Korean Peninsula a century ago. But as the countries faced an increasingly assertive China and threats from North Korea, efforts to cooperate quickly supplanted past animosity, driven in large part by the efforts of US President Joe Biden’s administration.

In March 2023, the two countries promised to resume ties at a fence-mending summit in Tokyo. Four months later, Biden hosted the leaders of Japan and South Korea at Camp David, where they pledged to “inaugurate a new era of trilateral partnership.”

Then last month, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met his Japanese and South Korean counterparts on the sidelines of a security conference in Singapore, where they announced joint military exercises – nearly unthinkable just a few years ago.

The trilateral meeting of the chiefs of defense at the Japanese Defense Ministry on Thursday, held for the first time in Tokyo, underscored the rapidly developing cooperation.

“I expect that the three of us sitting here in Tokyo today will send a message to the regional threats but also more globally on the strength of our relationship, our alliances, and the work that we need to continue to do,” said Gen. Brown, sitting alongside his counterparts at the beginning of the meeting.

The meeting comes on the heels of the NATO summit held last week in Washington, on the 75th anniversary of the alliance. The NATO communique specifically mentioned the importance of the Indo-Pacific, “given that developments in that region directly affect Euro-Atlantic security.”

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said there was some sense of urgency behind the rapidly developing cooperation. The East Asian nations, he said, want to triangulate a coordinated response to common adversaries before potential changes in Seoul or Washington could put the relationship in jeopardy.

“Domestic politics remain complicated in Seoul and Tokyo, but policymakers and military professionals want to lock in coordinated responses to North Korea, Russia, and China before any major political changes occur in Washington,” Easley said.

Sixteen people were killed after a fire broke out at a shopping mall in southwest China on Wednesday, according to Chinese state media.

Dramatic images showed a huge column of black smoke billowing from the 14-story building in the city of Zigong, Sichuan province. Several people were also seen gathered on a balcony.

About 30 people were rescued from the blaze after nearly 300 emergency workers and dozens of vehicles were dispatched from the local fire department to the scene, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Preliminary investigations suggest the fire was caused by construction work, CCTV said, citing local authorities.

In a statement Thursday, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management urged rescue workers and provincial officials to determine the cause of the fire as soon as possible, and to learn lessons to ensure greater security in the future.

Such incidents are not uncommon in China, where enforcement of safety standards is often lax.

In January, a fire at a mixed-use building in southeast China killed at least 39 people just days after another blaze at a boarding school in central Henan province killed 13 children.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has formally apologized to a group of plaintiffs who were forcibly sterilized under the country’s decades-long former eugenics law following their lengthy campaign for justice.

The Eugenic Protection Law, in place from 1948 to 1996, allowed authorities to forcibly sterilize people with disabilities, including those with mental disorders, hereditary diseases or physical deformities and leprosy. It also allowed forced abortions if either parent had those conditions.

At least 25,000 people were sterilized under the law, Kishida told a meeting at his official residence of about 130 survivors, many now elderly and in wheelchairs, public broadcaster NHK reported Wednesday.

“I decided to meet with you today in order to personally express my remorse and apology for the tremendous physical and mental suffering that many people have endured based on the former Eugenic Protection Law,” Kishida said.

The law was unconstitutional and had violated individuals’ human rights and dignity, the prime minister said, adding he had ordered authorities to prepare a new compensation plan for survivors, without sharing the details.

Plaintiffs and their supporters have argued that a previous government compensation offer of 3.2 million yen (about $20,000) each was too low. They won a significant victory earlier this month, when Japan’s Supreme Court ordered the government to pay 16.5 million yen (about $105,000) each in damages to plaintiffs of several lawsuits and 2.2 million yen ($14,000) to their spouses.

One plaintiff, Kikuo Kojima, described being taken to the hospital when he was 19, where he said he was “given the nickname ‘Schizophrenic’ and forced into eugenic surgery.”

“I will never forget that,” he said, according to NHK.

Other plaintiffs said they were bedridden for years following their operations, faced a lifetime of discrimination, were unable to work due to the physical and mental toll, and wished their bodies could return to their “original” state, NHK reported.

Eugenics law

Japan experienced a brief baby boom after World War II, alarming authorities as they struggled to deal with severe nationwide food shortages and a war-ravaged economy, according to academics and Japanese medical associations.

The government leapt to implement population control measures, including a national campaign to promote contraception – and the Eugenic Protection Law, which “made abortions and sterilizations available,” and was described as “government policy in the population field” in a 1972 report by the government-run Institute of Population Problems.

The legislation aimed to “prevent the increase of the inferior descendants from the eugenic point of view and to protect the life and health of the mother,” according to a copy of the law – which listed “remarkable abnormal sexual desire” and “remarkable clinical inclination” among the conditions targeted.

Besides an official apology, the plaintiffs have also demanded a compensation law that would benefit all survivors, even those who haven’t filed lawsuits.

They also urged authorities to quickly conclude ongoing related legal cases, stressing that most plaintiffs were reaching the end of their lives, NHK reported.

“I heard the apology directly from the prime minister to the victims, but I think we could have heard it earlier,” said Koji Niisato, an attorney for plaintiffs, according to NHK. “Today, I hope that you will listen to the actual conditions of the victims and their real voices and do your utmost to achieve a full resolution for them.”

Some plaintiffs also said they were not fully satisfied with the government’s apology and the Supreme Court ruling.

“It has been really hard for a long time, and even after hearing the verdict, I cannot put my mind at ease,” one plaintiff said, according to NHK.