First lawsuit by A-bomb survivor overseas to be filed
Aug. 2, 2010
by Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer
On August 1, it was learned that Takashi Morita, 86, a resident of Sao Paulo, Brazil, who experienced the atomic bombing in Hiroshima and now serves as chairman of the Peace Association of Brazilian A-bomb Survivors, is considering filing a lawsuit with the Hiroshima District Court in order to call on the Japanese government to reverse its decision rejecting his application for A-bomb disease certification. This would be the first time that an A-bomb survivor overseas files a lawsuit over A-bomb disease certification.
Mr. Morita was exposed to the atomic bombing on the street in Hiroshima, 1.3 kilometers from the hypocenter. When he returned to Japan in June of last year, he filed an application for A-bomb disease certification through Hiroshima Prefecture on the basis of a heart attack. However, he received the notice of rejection on May 20 of this year.
The A-bomb disease certification criteria were relaxed in April 2008, following the successive victories of plaintiffs in the class action lawsuits over A-bomb disease certification across Japan. A heart attack is, under certain conditions, designated as one of the diseases targeted for "immediate certification" as well.
Kazuyuki Tamura, head of the Association to Support the Lawsuit of the A-bomb Survivors Living in the U.S. and Brazil, commented, "The lawsuit will be filed as early as September. We will support the lawsuit with all our might."
(Originally published on August 2, 2010)
On August 1, it was learned that Takashi Morita, 86, a resident of Sao Paulo, Brazil, who experienced the atomic bombing in Hiroshima and now serves as chairman of the Peace Association of Brazilian A-bomb Survivors, is considering filing a lawsuit with the Hiroshima District Court in order to call on the Japanese government to reverse its decision rejecting his application for A-bomb disease certification. This would be the first time that an A-bomb survivor overseas files a lawsuit over A-bomb disease certification.
Mr. Morita was exposed to the atomic bombing on the street in Hiroshima, 1.3 kilometers from the hypocenter. When he returned to Japan in June of last year, he filed an application for A-bomb disease certification through Hiroshima Prefecture on the basis of a heart attack. However, he received the notice of rejection on May 20 of this year.
The A-bomb disease certification criteria were relaxed in April 2008, following the successive victories of plaintiffs in the class action lawsuits over A-bomb disease certification across Japan. A heart attack is, under certain conditions, designated as one of the diseases targeted for "immediate certification" as well.
Kazuyuki Tamura, head of the Association to Support the Lawsuit of the A-bomb Survivors Living in the U.S. and Brazil, commented, "The lawsuit will be filed as early as September. We will support the lawsuit with all our might."
(Originally published on August 2, 2010)
