 Hidankyo proposes new standards for recognizing illnesses as being caused by A-bomb radiation The Japan Confederation of A and H Bombs Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo), which organizes A-bomb survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Hibakusha), has called on the government to adopt new standards for certifying Hibakusha with A-bomb diseases in order to broaden the scope of eligibility for benefits for Hibakusha with A-bomb induced diseases. At a news conference in Tokyo on March 23, Nihon Hidankyo representatives said that the criteria currently used by the government do not recognize the causal relationship between A-bomb radiation and the illnesses of those who were distant from hypocenters or who entered Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the A-bombings. "This does not reflect the reality of Hibakusha," they said. Nihon Hidankyo demands that the government replace the present criteria with the new standards that call for Hibakusha's illnesses to be recognized as caused by the atomic bombings if at least one of the following two symptoms is confirmed: (1) The person has a fever, emesis, diarrhea, and fatigue that are probably the aftereffect of the A-bomb radiation. (2) The person suffers from leukemia, cataract, cardiac disease, hepatic disease, and disturbance of motility apparently caused by the A-bomb radiation and needs medical treatment. Nihon Hidankyo also called on the government to improve the present certification system so that all those who are suspected of having illnesses caused by atomic-bomb radiation can be regarded as Hibakusha with A-bomb diseases. (end) |