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Court rules Hibakusha can apply for health benefits from abroad

The Fukuoka High Court on September 26 upheld a lower court decision that atomic bomb survivors (Hibakusha) living overseas should be allowed to apply for Hibakusha benefits without being in Japan, rejecting Nagasaki City's claim.

Plaintiff Choi Gye Chol was a South Korean who was exposed to radiation in Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. When he visited Japan in 1980, he received a Hibakusha certificate which allowed him to receive the monthly health benefit. However, his allowance was suspended after he returned to his country.

Choi died in July 2004 at the age of 78. His wife applied for the funeral expenses of about 190,000 yen in accordance with the Hibakusha Aid Law, but Nagasaki City rejected her request on the grounds that Choi was not in Japan when he died.

In 2002, the Osaka District Court ruled that the Hibakusha Aid Law covers those Hibakusha living overseas, stating that no matter where they live, Hibakusha are Hibakusha. The ruling enabled Hibakusha-certificate holders who reside abroad to receive health benefits. But they still had to come to Japan to submit the necessary documents to receive the benefits. -- Akahata, September 27, 2005