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Japanese prime minister pledges to enact A-bomb disease bill

by Kohei Okata, Staff Writer

On November 6, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama acknowledged that a bill to establish a fund to provide relief to those who lost their cases in class action lawsuits over A-bomb disease certification should be enacted during the present extraordinary session of the Diet. The ruling parties will promptly review the problem, including as to whether the bill should be proposed by the government or by legislators, in anticipation of the end of the Diet session on November 30. Meanwhile, Yoichi Masuzoe, an LDP member and the former Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, revealed his idea to submit a bill concerning this issue during the current Diet session.

The establishment of the fund is included in a note of confirmation for a collective settlement of the class action lawsuits that was exchanged between the Japanese government and the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations, the plaintiffs, on August 6. The fund is designed to provide settlement money for the defeated plaintiffs. The nationwide groups of plaintiffs and lawyers involved in the class action lawsuits have confirmed the policy of withdrawing their appeals regarding those who lost their cases at the initial trial, once the fund project takes shape. The establishment of the fund is the last hurdle to concluding the class action lawsuits filed in various locations in Japan.

Prime Minister Hatoyama told reporters: "The A-bomb disease bill should be enacted during the current Diet session, if possible. It has already taken too much time." As to whether the bill should be proposed by the government or left to legislators to propose, as the note of confirmation stipulates, he commented, "I will make a decision in full consultation with my party colleagues." He did not elaborate on the details of the bill, including the scale of the fund.

On the same day, Mr. Hatoyama also referred to this bill at the Lower House Budget Committee. "I pledge to submit and enact a bill on this matter," the prime minister said. Furthermore, he indicated his intention to consider a government-proposed bill, saying, "The administrative branch has not managed to enact the bill. The new administration may be able to overcome the obstacles."

However, when the former Aso administration considered setting up the fund with contingency funds, bureaucrats reacted against the idea, saying, "The administrative branch cannot provide relief measures to plaintiffs who have not been recognized as A-bomb disease sufferers by the judicial branch." Under these circumstances, the bill was left to legislators to propose.

Mr. Masuzoe, too, said at the Lower House Budget Committee, "I want to submit a bill to the current Diet session, if possible." Later, he spoke to reporters and said that he would hammer out details of the bill, including the size of the fund and its potential recipients, through discussions within his party.

It is believed that the Japanese government, the Democratic Party of Japan and the Liberal Democratic Party will engage in careful negotiations on the contents of the bill and how to submit it to the Diet. Hidenori Yamamoto, the leader of the nationwide group of plaintiffs involved in the class action lawsuits over A-bomb disease certification, expressed his hope for the bill, saying, "Providing relief measures to all plaintiffs, including those who lost their cases, is essential for the complete settlement of the class action lawsuits. I hope the government will take swift action to enact the bill."

(Originally published on November 7, 2009)

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