Hibakusha indignant at Koizumi's refusal to meet with them

Atomic bomb survivors (Hibakusha) were resentful of the prime minister's refusal to attend a meeting with Hibakusha in Hiroshima. In the past, prime ministers used to meet Hibakusha after the Aug. 6 ceremony to listen to them.

This year, Health and Welfare Minister Sakaguchi Chikara met with representatives of the Hibakusha organizations.

A Hibakusha representative said to Sakaguchi, "It's regrettable that we miss an oppotunity to have the prime minister listen to us."

The reason Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro gave for his absence was that, "I need not listen to Hibakusha make their case, which I know from last year's meeting. The H&W minister will be with the Hibakusha, and that's enough." (end)