City of Hiroshima issues Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificate to former conscripted laborer without “witnesses”
Mar. 27, 2015
by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer
It was learned, on March 19, that the City of Hiroshima has issued an Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificate to Seon Sehwa, 92, a resident of Kyonggi Province of South Korea, though he was unable to provide “witnesses” to his A-bomb experience. Mr. Seon was present at the atomic bombing while conscripted to work at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Hiroshima Shipyard (located in present-day Naka Ward) during World War II. The Hiroshima Legal Affairs Bureau, which had been given a deposit from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for unpaid wages to its laborers after the war, holds a list which contains Mr. Seon’s name, which the city deemed “compelling evidence.” This is the first instance of the certificate being issued based on this document.
According to those associated with Mr. Seon, he was ordered to work at the Hiroshima Shipyard starting in December 1944, and he experienced the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945 while transporting materials by truck alongside Japanese workers. After the war ended, he returned to South Korea and made a living in agricultural work, but continued to suffer from poor health.
Last October, Mr. Seon applied for the certificate with the City of Hiroshima through the Korean Red Cross and the city decided to issue the certificate to him on March 17. Although he had no “witnesses,” his name was found on the “deposit list” and his account was considered highly credible. On that day, the city sent his certificate to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The city said that the ministry will deliver the certificate to Mr. Seon through Japan’s diplomatic channels in South Korea.
Seon Jeunghyeon, 59, Seon Sehwa’s eldest son, said, “The members of our family are relieved that my father has been recognized as a survivor of the atomic bombing. I conveyed the news to him right away. After he applied for the certificate with the city, he had a telephone interview with a city official for about one and a half hours. Because of his age, he’s now in the hospital, but he still has a vivid memory of the atomic bombing and being forced to work in Japan.”
by Masami Nishimoto, Senior Staff Writer
It is good, if belated, news for A-bomb survivors living in South Korea that the City of Hiroshima has made the decision to issue an Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificate based on the “deposit list.” At the same time, the case highlights the fact that there is still a high wall to climb to access relief measures. Applicants are asked to provide witnesses to their experience of the atomic bombing in a foreign land they were forcibly brought to some 70 years ago. This also calls into question Japan’s postwar atonement.
The “deposit list” is a document which shows that companies deposited unpaid wages and other monies to the Japanese government for the people who were conscripted under Japan’s colonial rule and then returned to their homelands after Japan’s surrender. In 2007, when conscripted laborers who experienced the atomic bombing in Hiroshima won their lawsuit with the former Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at the Supreme Court, a photocopy of this list was delivered by the Japanese government to the South Korean government. Nearly 2,000 names are believed to be on the list.
In this case, such entities as the Korean Red Cross confirmed that Seon Sehwa’s name is on the list and conveyed this information to the City of Hiroshima.
It is believed that at least four people who did not receive the certificate, but are still alive, are on the same list, which corroborates information on the register of the Mitsubishi Hiroshima Shipyard in the Eba district (in present-day Naka Ward) on August 6, 1945.
“Asking for proof that they were conscripted and experienced the A-bombing on the side of the aggrieved party itself is contradictory,” pointed out Akiko Kawai, 58, a resident of Chiba Prefecture, who works for the Association of Citizens for the Support of South Korean Atomic Bomb Victims and seeks to locate witnesses. She said that another A-bomb sufferer passed away this month. Although it was clear that this person had attended an elementary school in Hiroshima, no witnesses could be found.
Currently, as many as 25 people from South Korea are undergoing the screening process for the Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificate with the City of Hiroshima. The city must not impose the burden of proof of exposure to the atomic bombing on these applicants, but instead, as the nation’s responsibility, respect their statements and make efforts to obtain suitable proof.
(Originally published on March 20, 2015)
It was learned, on March 19, that the City of Hiroshima has issued an Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificate to Seon Sehwa, 92, a resident of Kyonggi Province of South Korea, though he was unable to provide “witnesses” to his A-bomb experience. Mr. Seon was present at the atomic bombing while conscripted to work at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Hiroshima Shipyard (located in present-day Naka Ward) during World War II. The Hiroshima Legal Affairs Bureau, which had been given a deposit from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for unpaid wages to its laborers after the war, holds a list which contains Mr. Seon’s name, which the city deemed “compelling evidence.” This is the first instance of the certificate being issued based on this document.
According to those associated with Mr. Seon, he was ordered to work at the Hiroshima Shipyard starting in December 1944, and he experienced the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945 while transporting materials by truck alongside Japanese workers. After the war ended, he returned to South Korea and made a living in agricultural work, but continued to suffer from poor health.
Last October, Mr. Seon applied for the certificate with the City of Hiroshima through the Korean Red Cross and the city decided to issue the certificate to him on March 17. Although he had no “witnesses,” his name was found on the “deposit list” and his account was considered highly credible. On that day, the city sent his certificate to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The city said that the ministry will deliver the certificate to Mr. Seon through Japan’s diplomatic channels in South Korea.
Seon Jeunghyeon, 59, Seon Sehwa’s eldest son, said, “The members of our family are relieved that my father has been recognized as a survivor of the atomic bombing. I conveyed the news to him right away. After he applied for the certificate with the city, he had a telephone interview with a city official for about one and a half hours. Because of his age, he’s now in the hospital, but he still has a vivid memory of the atomic bombing and being forced to work in Japan.”
Commentary: Japan has the responsibility to obtain proof
by Masami Nishimoto, Senior Staff Writer
It is good, if belated, news for A-bomb survivors living in South Korea that the City of Hiroshima has made the decision to issue an Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificate based on the “deposit list.” At the same time, the case highlights the fact that there is still a high wall to climb to access relief measures. Applicants are asked to provide witnesses to their experience of the atomic bombing in a foreign land they were forcibly brought to some 70 years ago. This also calls into question Japan’s postwar atonement.
The “deposit list” is a document which shows that companies deposited unpaid wages and other monies to the Japanese government for the people who were conscripted under Japan’s colonial rule and then returned to their homelands after Japan’s surrender. In 2007, when conscripted laborers who experienced the atomic bombing in Hiroshima won their lawsuit with the former Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at the Supreme Court, a photocopy of this list was delivered by the Japanese government to the South Korean government. Nearly 2,000 names are believed to be on the list.
In this case, such entities as the Korean Red Cross confirmed that Seon Sehwa’s name is on the list and conveyed this information to the City of Hiroshima.
It is believed that at least four people who did not receive the certificate, but are still alive, are on the same list, which corroborates information on the register of the Mitsubishi Hiroshima Shipyard in the Eba district (in present-day Naka Ward) on August 6, 1945.
“Asking for proof that they were conscripted and experienced the A-bombing on the side of the aggrieved party itself is contradictory,” pointed out Akiko Kawai, 58, a resident of Chiba Prefecture, who works for the Association of Citizens for the Support of South Korean Atomic Bomb Victims and seeks to locate witnesses. She said that another A-bomb sufferer passed away this month. Although it was clear that this person had attended an elementary school in Hiroshima, no witnesses could be found.
Currently, as many as 25 people from South Korea are undergoing the screening process for the Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Certificate with the City of Hiroshima. The city must not impose the burden of proof of exposure to the atomic bombing on these applicants, but instead, as the nation’s responsibility, respect their statements and make efforts to obtain suitable proof.
(Originally published on March 20, 2015)
