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Four Koreans, former residents of the "black rainfall area," receive medical checkup certificate for A-bomb survivors

by Sakiko Masuda, Staff Writer

On March 4, the City of Hiroshima handed the "medical checkup certificate for A-bomb survivors" (hibakusha) to four Koreans who, at the time of the atomic bombing, lived in the area of the "black rain" which fell in the aftermath of the atomic bombing. Applications for the medical checkup certificate cannot be made at Japanese embassies or consulates and applicants must visit Japan to obtain the certificate. Hibakusha overseas and their supporters have been calling for a revision of the system.

On the day, four Korean siblings--Baek Eun Seon, 74, from the city of Taegu; Baek Wol Hyang, 70, from the city of Pusan; Baek Wol Seon, 68, from Hamyang County; and Baek Gap Jeong, 65, from Geochang County--received the medical checkup certificate.

At the time of the bombing, the Baeks lived in former Tomo Village in the Asa district (now, Asaminami Ward, Hiroshima). The City of Hiroshima confirmed the address of the siblings last summer when their eldest brother, who experienced the atomic bombing while at work in his factory, obtained the Atomic Bomb Survivor's Certificate. The city then told the siblings about the medical checkup certificate.

In line with the Atomic Bomb Survivors Relief Law, one cannot obtain the Atomic Bomb Survivor's Certificate by solely having lived in the black rainfall area at the time of the bombing. However, if one has obtained the medical checkup certificate and suffered from one of 11 diseases designated by the Japanese government, the medical checkup certificate can then be converted to the Atomic Bomb Survivor's Certificate. Meanwhile, the revision of the Atomic Bomb Survivors Relief Law has enabled one to apply for the Atomic Bomb Survivor's Certificate from overseas since December 2008. However, the application for the medical checkup certificate requires applicants to visit Japan.

Ho Man Jeong, 77, a member of the South Korean Atomic Bomb Sufferers Association, who accompanied the Baeks, said, "Some people don't remember the black rain falling, as they were young. When I return to South Korea, I will disseminate information on the black rainfall area. I will also call for the medical checkup certificate to be issued by Japanese embassies and consulates."

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has cited the reason that Japanese embassies and consulates are not yet prepared for such a system in explaining why the applications for the medical checkup certificate cannot be filed in the nations where the applicants live.

(Originally published on March 5, 2010)

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