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Hiroshima Prefecture dispatches officials to South Korea to interview applicants for A-bomb Survivor’s Certificate

by Masaki Kadowaki, Staff Writer

On October 8, two officials from Hiroshima Prefecture, dispatched to South Korea by the prefectural government, began interviewing six Korean nationals, ranging in age from 68 to 83, who have applied for the A-bomb Survivor’s Certificate. The officials were sent to determine whether or not these men and women are eligible, since their age makes it difficult to confirm details of their applications by telephone. After consulting with the Japanese government, Hiroshima Prefecture then made its first dispatch of staff overseas in connection with the A-bomb Survivor’s Certificate.

The prefectural government has indicated that the six people are siblings from two families (three siblings from each family), who live in and around Busan. They were exposed to the Hiroshima bombing from under a year old to the age of 15. Three of the applicants say that they were in Kogokita-machi (now part of Nishi Ward), 3.5 kilometers from the hypocenter, at the time of the atomic bombing, and the other three say they were in Gion-cho (now part of Asaminami Ward), 4.5 kilometers from the hypocenter. Their applications were submitted in March and July of this year, with the help of supporters in Japan, but they are unable to provide witnesses to confirm their claims.

The central government subsidizes the travel expenses of A-bomb survivors living overseas who visit Japan to obtain the certificate, but prior to such visits, details of the applications are checked by telephone. In this case, the prefecture called the applicants, but because the eldest siblings of both families, who remember the time most clearly, are hard of hearing, it proved difficult to discuss the applications by phone. The prefecture consulted with the central government, which agreed to provide the prefecture with approximately 200,000 yen so the two officials could be dispatched directly to South Korea on October 7.

The officials from Hiroshima Prefecture interviewed the two groups of siblings on October 8 at the Busan Chapter of the South Korean Atomic Bomb Sufferers Association. They will return to Japan on October 9 and check the applicants’ accounts with the prefecture’s historical documents concerning war damages and previous cases involving applications for the A-bomb Survivor’s Certificate. Although there are no witnesses, the government will issue the certificate if their exposure to the atomic bomb is confirmed.

The offices which support overseas survivors are located at the city governments of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as at the Yamaguchi, Osaka, and Fukuoka prefectural governments. Nagasaki Prefecture and Nagasaki City have already dispatched officials to interview overseas survivors and issued the A-bomb certificate to 61 people. The Atomic Bomb Survivors Support Division of Hiroshima Prefecture says that the prefectural government is ready to respond flexibly as survivors are aging and finding it difficult to travel.

(Originally published on October 9, 2013)

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