Young lawyer rolls up his sleeves for Hibakusha

Akakata of July 7 ran a story of a freshman lawyer working with Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) in their lawsuit against the government.

Sakata Yosuke, 26, is a member of the legal team taking charge of the law suits by Hibakusha (A-bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) demanding that the government recognize them as Hibakusha with diseases caused by the atomic bombings.

Only recently, he learned about atomic bomb-related diseases.

Last October, when Sakata became a lawyer, he was asked to a gathering in which the Tokyo Federation of A-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Toyukai) and its legal team announced a plan to file concerted lawsuits against the government because it rejected many Hibakusha's application for their recognition as Hibakusha with diseases caused by atomic bombings.

For Sakata, up until that time, the A-bomb tragedy had been a part of history. He was listening to briefers, wondering, "What are their problems now?"

Toyukai and the legal team explained the problem to Sakata:

"When Hibakusha get diseases like cancer, they can apply for government recognition as Hibakusha with A-bomb related illnesses and receive the monthly medical allowance. This is a kind of state compensation for victims of the war which the government is responsible for. There are more than 280,000 Hibakusha in Japan, but only 2,000 of them are officially recognized as Hibakusha with A-bomb related diseases. In the lawsuit, the legal team together with Hibakusha would hold the government responsible for having concealed the dreadful damage of the A-bombings and neglected to properly deal with the problems of Hibakusha.

The young lawyer realized how unfair the government's standards are for giving Hibakusha the status of A-bomb disease victims. He, then, decided to join the lawyers' team and began interviewing Hibakusha.

He understood that many Hibakusha feel the pangs of guilt when they say, "I couldn't rescue my parents and friends and I'm the only one still alive."

Sakata said, "It would be easy to say, 'It's not your fault.' But for Hibakusha who had to disregard cries for help, things are not that simple. They will be tormented by a sense of guilt for the rest of their life. I learned anew that nuclear bombs destroy people physically and mentally. I want the government to admit that illnesses Hibakusha are suffering from are A-bomb-related. I want all nuclear weapons removed from the world. Teamwork with other lawyers who have the same aspiration gives me a sense of fulfillment." (end)