October 13, 2019

The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) recently released an interim report on its survey of second-generation Hibakusha. More than 60% of the respondents expressed anxiety, including concerns about health conditions of themselves and their relatives.

Hidankyo between 2016 and 2017 sent questionnaires via local Hibakusha organizations and groups to second-generation Hibakusha and received 3,400 responses.

The survey found that 60.3% of the respondents feel some kind of concern as second-generation A-bomb survivors. Of them, 78.6% worry about “possible health damage from parental radiation exposure”, 56.0% are anxious about “health conditions of and nursing care for their parents”, 41.8% fear that “parental radiation exposure may adversely affect their children’s health,” and 12.5% cite problems associated with “discrimination and prejudice”.

Asked whether they are willing to take part in activities aimed at making the stories of Hibakusha better known to the public and passing down the ugly reality of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to younger generations, 32.4% gave a positive answer. The activities they want to engage in vary from “anti-nuke movements”, “hearing of testimonies from Hibakusha firsthand”, and to “cooperation and participation in Hibakusha organizations’ activities”.

The questionnaire also asked what kind of public support they expect from the national or local governments. The respondents demand mainly support measures in the field of health care, such as “a subsidy program for medical services (48.7%)”, “an issuance of certification for second-generation Hibakusha (48.3%)”, and “cancer checkups for second-generation Hibakusha (41.9%)”.

Past related article:
> Abe shuts his ear to Hibakusha’s call for Japan’s ratification of UN N-ban treaty [August 7, 2019]