More people sue government for compensation for Tokyo Air Raid

   On March 10, the 63^rd anniversary of the 1945 Great Tokyo Air Raid by U.S. forces, 20 of its survivors filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court demanding a Japanese government apology and compensation for damages caused by the bombardment.

   They are joining 112 people who filed a similar suit in March last year. They are demanding a total of 1.45 billion yen in government compensation.

   The U.S. carpet bombing killed about 100,000 people overnight and left about one million people injured or without houses to live in.

   The plaintiffs are claiming that the Japanese Army’s indiscriminate bombing of Chongqing and other Chinese cities gave U.S. forces justification for attacking Tokyo. They are criticizing the government for failing to give relief to Tokyo Air Raid victims.

   At a press conference, lawyer Nakayama Taketoshi, who chairs a group of 116 lawyers from around the country, pointed out that atomic-bomb survivors (Hibakusha) of Hiroshima or Nagasaki and those who returned to Japan after the war’s end have received government relief. “Air raid victims are the only ones left without assistance,” said Nakayama, adding, “This case is not about an issue of the past but one that still needs to be settled.”

   The government, in court, has insisted that damage from the war was inevitable. It refuses to discuss facts concerning the bombing and demands that the case be closed as soon as possible.

   Takenaka Junzo, a 71-year-old plaintiff who was 8 years old in 1945, said, “I haven’t been able to find my parents’ bones. I decided to sue the government in their behalf. The government must offer an apology and pay compensation as part of its responsibility for the war.”

   Plaintiff Hirose Eiji, 72, takes care of his 81-year-old sister who was severely burned in the air raid and became disabled.

   At a rally following the filing of the lawsuit, Hirose said, “My sister’s memory stopped when we went into an air-raid shelter on that day. For 63 years since that day, she has lived without knowing that her mother died and has even been unable to recognize me as her brother.” He called for support for the lawsuit, saying, “I visited a city office by myself to ask for compensation, but they just shrugged off my request. Today, I am happy from the bottom of my heart to be able to join the lawsuit.”

- Akahata, March 11, 2008