antiatom

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

High court orders Hiroshima Pref. government to pay full benefits to Hibakusha living abroad

The Hiroshima High Court on February 8 overturned a lower court decision and ordered the Hiroshima Prefectural Government to pay three Hibakusha living in Brazil a total of 2.9 million yen in medical benefits, which the Hiroshima Prefectural Government had refused to pay.

This is the first ruling to call for the medical allowances to be paid to Hibakusha living abroad by overriding the statute of limitations.

The three Hibakusha had appealed against the Hiroshima District Court decision.

The high court judge said that the district court decision that applied statute of limitations was "contrary to justice and amounts to an abuse of power."

Mukai Shoji and two other Hibakusha who filed the lawsuit were born in Hiroshima and were exposed to radiation from the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945. They emigrated to Brazil in 1955.

They temporarily visited Japan in 1994-1995 and obtained the Hibakusha certificate enabling them to receive the monthly health care benefits (34,000 yen). But after they left Japan, the payments stopped.

According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, there are about 3,600 Hibakusha of Hiroshima or Nagasaki who now live abroad, including those who returned to South Korea and China or emigrated to the United States and Brazil.
-Akahata, February 9, 2006