Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2017 November 29 - December 5 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Hiroshima district court rejects Hibakusha’s demand for recognition as A-bomb disease patients

The Hiroshima District Court on November 28 issued a ruling rejecting the demand of 12 A-bomb survivors (Hibakusha) that the government recognize their diseases as being caused by exposure to radiation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.

At a rally held after the ruling, the 12 plaintiffs in turn basically said, “The court decision is an act of disrespect for Hibakusha. It is absolutely unacceptable.”

Lawyer Sasaki Takeya, who heads the plaintiffs’ counsel, pointed out that as the reason for the rejection, the court ruling states that the plaintiffs’ illnesses such as hypothyroidism and cataract could have been caused by their living habits.

Referring to the current trends in officially certifying Hibakusha as A-bomb disease sufferers, Sasaki said that since the 2013 revision of the government-set standards, the distance between ground zero and the location of Hibakusha at the time of the atomic bombings is used for the official recognition. He criticized the court for being out of step with reality.

Past related article:
> Hibakusha disappointed with new criteria [December 17, 2013]