Plaintiffs call on government at news conference to quickly offer help to victims of “black rain”
Jul. 28, 2021
by Daisuke Neishi, Staff Writer
On July 27, the plaintiffs and their team of attorneys in the recent “black rain” court case held a news conference in Hiroshima’s centrally located Naka Ward, after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced his decision to not make a final legal appeal against the court ruling. Welcoming the political decision made before the 76th anniversary of the atomic bombing, the plaintiff group called on the national government to also provide quick access to relief measures to victims of black rain that had not joined the lawsuit.
Masaaki Takano, 83, the case’s lead plaintiff who lives in Hiroshima’s Saeki Ward, said, “They finally understood the truth we have long asserted. I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for their support of us for over such a long time.” Referring to Prime Minister Suga’s comment about providing relief to more people with complaints of damage caused by the black rain, Seiji Takato, 80, another plaintiff living in Saeki Ward, said, “I hope the government can extend its support quickly to people in a similar situation that have been watching developments in the trial.”
In 1978, two years after the government specified the “heavy rain area” as the area designated to be covered by the legal framework related to relief, Mr. Takano and others who resided outside the designated area established the Hiroshima Prefecture Atomic Bomb Black Rain Council. Founding members have continued to actively work to demand relief from the national and other governments.
The group brought a lawsuit in Hiroshima District Court in 2015. During those six years, however, the plaintiffs became elderly, with 19 of them dying. Masahiro Takemori, one of the attorneys on the plaintiffs’ legal team, bit his lip as he spoke. “It’s a shame all the plaintiffs could not have this day together.” He urged the national government to “speed up the necessary procedures, including revision of the legal framework, to ensure that all people exposed to black rain can receive an Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificate without having to take their case to court. We are willing to provide the necessary cooperation.”
(Originally published on July 28, 2021)
On July 27, the plaintiffs and their team of attorneys in the recent “black rain” court case held a news conference in Hiroshima’s centrally located Naka Ward, after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced his decision to not make a final legal appeal against the court ruling. Welcoming the political decision made before the 76th anniversary of the atomic bombing, the plaintiff group called on the national government to also provide quick access to relief measures to victims of black rain that had not joined the lawsuit.
Masaaki Takano, 83, the case’s lead plaintiff who lives in Hiroshima’s Saeki Ward, said, “They finally understood the truth we have long asserted. I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for their support of us for over such a long time.” Referring to Prime Minister Suga’s comment about providing relief to more people with complaints of damage caused by the black rain, Seiji Takato, 80, another plaintiff living in Saeki Ward, said, “I hope the government can extend its support quickly to people in a similar situation that have been watching developments in the trial.”
In 1978, two years after the government specified the “heavy rain area” as the area designated to be covered by the legal framework related to relief, Mr. Takano and others who resided outside the designated area established the Hiroshima Prefecture Atomic Bomb Black Rain Council. Founding members have continued to actively work to demand relief from the national and other governments.
The group brought a lawsuit in Hiroshima District Court in 2015. During those six years, however, the plaintiffs became elderly, with 19 of them dying. Masahiro Takemori, one of the attorneys on the plaintiffs’ legal team, bit his lip as he spoke. “It’s a shame all the plaintiffs could not have this day together.” He urged the national government to “speed up the necessary procedures, including revision of the legal framework, to ensure that all people exposed to black rain can receive an Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificate without having to take their case to court. We are willing to provide the necessary cooperation.”
(Originally published on July 28, 2021)
