TOKYO — Three Japanese people who were forcibly sterilized under a government policy decades ago filed lawsuits Thursday demanding an apology and compensation, in a growing movement seeking official redress.

The two men and a woman, all in their 70s, are among at least 16,500 people who were sterilized without consent under a 1948 Eugenics Protection Law in place until 1996.

The law, designed to ‘‘prevent the birth of poor-quality descendants,’’ allowed doctors to perform abortions or sterilize people with disabilities.

The three plaintiffs are seeking $730,000 in total. Their lawyers say the government violated their right to self-determination, reproductive health, and equality.

One of them, Kikuo Kojima, 76, said he wanted to let people know about the policy. ‘‘The same mistake should never be repeated,’’ he said.

Kojima was forcibly sterilized in 1960 after being treated for a mental illness.

associated press