 Azuma wins in court that his illness was A-bomb caused The Tokyo High Court on March 29 upheld a lower court decision that the late Azuma Kazuo, an atomic-bomb survivor (Hibakusha), had hepatitis C caused by radiation from the A-bombing. The judge rejected the government argument that Azuma's HC had nothing to do with radiation and said it is necessary to take into account how he was exposed to radiation at the time and what he did after the bombing. His wife Asako, who was in the court room holding a picture of Azuma who died in January, said, "It's regrettable that he couldn't hear his victory in court. After the government appeal, he seemed to have lost interest in his life. I want the health and welfare minister not to appeal to an upper court any more." Following the court decision, his lawyers team, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bombs Sufferers Organizations (Japan Hidankyo), the Tokyo Federation of A-Bomb Sufferers Organization (Toyukai), and a supporters group for Hibakusha lawsuits published a statement demanding that the health and welfare minister apologize, accept the ruling, and not file an appeal to the Supreme Court. The four organizations also requested that the government revise the present system in order to broaden the scope of eligibility for benefits for Hibakusha with A-bomb diseases and settle Hibakusha lawsuits across the country to grant official recognition as having diseases caused by the A-bombing. The case has been taken to the high court since the government lodged an appeal against the district court's decision last March that Azuma's HC was an A-bomb disease. At present, 168 Hibakusha throughout Japan are fighting in court for official recognition as Hibakusha with A-bomb induced diseases. About 20 percent of them are suffering from hepatitis. The argument that there is no relation between HC and radiation has been rejected in other cases as well. (end) |