Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificates to be issued soon following final decision in black rain lawsuit
Jul. 30, 2021
by Teru Matsumoto, Kohei Okata, and Kana Kobayashi, Staff Writers
On July 29, the Hiroshima High Court’s ruling in the “Black Rain” lawsuit was finalized as neither the plaintiffs nor the defendants composed of the Japanese government, Hiroshima Prefecture and Hiroshima City made an appeal to the Supreme Court by the July 28 deadline. In the lawsuit over radioactive black rain that fell in the aftermath of the dropping of the atomic bomb, following the Hiroshima District Court’s original ruling, the High Court ruled in favor of recognition of all 84 plaintiffs (14 of whom have died) as A-bomb survivors and granted approval of the issuance of Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificates to the plaintiffs. Both Hiroshima Prefecture and the City of Hiroshima are speeding up process so that certificates will be issued to all the plaintiffs by August 6, the day of the atomic bombing.
The City of Hiroshima plans to start issuing survivor’s certificates to 53 people early next week. As in the past, the staff in charge will hand out the certificates at the City Hall and provide an explanation on medical expenses and allowances. Chiho Shishido, head of the city’s Relief Division says, “We would like to coordinate a schedule with eligible recipients and deliver the certificates to them as soon as possible. The prefectural government, which has already received applications from 31 people, will send the certificates to the municipalities concerned as early as July 30.
After the High Court ruling on July 14, both the Hiroshima prefectural and municipal governments urged the central government, which had pressured them to appeal the ruling, to abandon the appeal. On July 26, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga reversed his stance and announced in his statement that any appeal would be abandoned. On July 27, the prime minister’s Cabinet approved Mr. Suga’s statement that he would officially recognize as A-bomb survivors all individuals under the same circumstances as the plaintiffs, regardless of whether they participated in the lawsuit, and consider taking immediate action so that relief measures can be provided swiftly. The focus will now shift to recognition of black rain victims other than the plaintiffs as A-bomb survivors, as well as those who were exposed to the Nagasaki atomic bomb outside the area designated by the national government.
In response to the prime minister’s statement of abandoning any appeal, Hiroshima Prefecture and the City of Hiroshima have received inquiries from many people about whether they are also eligible for the relief measures. The City of Hiroshima has received 39 inquiries (as of 6 p.m. July 29).
The High Court ruled that black rain had fallen over a more extensive area than the 1976 Japanese government’s determination of the area of eligibility for relief, and rejected the validity of the government designation of the rainfall area. The court determined it was only necessary to prove that radiation effects on health could not be denied. The ruling emphasized the effects on plaintiff health due to internal exposure caused by black rain and determined that people who had been exposed to black rain should be recognized as A-bomb survivors, regardless of the onset of 11 diseases, such as cancer and cataracts, that the first ruling had considered to be a requirement for recognition.
(Originally published on July 30, 2021)
On July 29, the Hiroshima High Court’s ruling in the “Black Rain” lawsuit was finalized as neither the plaintiffs nor the defendants composed of the Japanese government, Hiroshima Prefecture and Hiroshima City made an appeal to the Supreme Court by the July 28 deadline. In the lawsuit over radioactive black rain that fell in the aftermath of the dropping of the atomic bomb, following the Hiroshima District Court’s original ruling, the High Court ruled in favor of recognition of all 84 plaintiffs (14 of whom have died) as A-bomb survivors and granted approval of the issuance of Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificates to the plaintiffs. Both Hiroshima Prefecture and the City of Hiroshima are speeding up process so that certificates will be issued to all the plaintiffs by August 6, the day of the atomic bombing.
The City of Hiroshima plans to start issuing survivor’s certificates to 53 people early next week. As in the past, the staff in charge will hand out the certificates at the City Hall and provide an explanation on medical expenses and allowances. Chiho Shishido, head of the city’s Relief Division says, “We would like to coordinate a schedule with eligible recipients and deliver the certificates to them as soon as possible. The prefectural government, which has already received applications from 31 people, will send the certificates to the municipalities concerned as early as July 30.
After the High Court ruling on July 14, both the Hiroshima prefectural and municipal governments urged the central government, which had pressured them to appeal the ruling, to abandon the appeal. On July 26, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga reversed his stance and announced in his statement that any appeal would be abandoned. On July 27, the prime minister’s Cabinet approved Mr. Suga’s statement that he would officially recognize as A-bomb survivors all individuals under the same circumstances as the plaintiffs, regardless of whether they participated in the lawsuit, and consider taking immediate action so that relief measures can be provided swiftly. The focus will now shift to recognition of black rain victims other than the plaintiffs as A-bomb survivors, as well as those who were exposed to the Nagasaki atomic bomb outside the area designated by the national government.
In response to the prime minister’s statement of abandoning any appeal, Hiroshima Prefecture and the City of Hiroshima have received inquiries from many people about whether they are also eligible for the relief measures. The City of Hiroshima has received 39 inquiries (as of 6 p.m. July 29).
The High Court ruled that black rain had fallen over a more extensive area than the 1976 Japanese government’s determination of the area of eligibility for relief, and rejected the validity of the government designation of the rainfall area. The court determined it was only necessary to prove that radiation effects on health could not be denied. The ruling emphasized the effects on plaintiff health due to internal exposure caused by black rain and determined that people who had been exposed to black rain should be recognized as A-bomb survivors, regardless of the onset of 11 diseases, such as cancer and cataracts, that the first ruling had considered to be a requirement for recognition.
(Originally published on July 30, 2021)
