A Japanese court has rejected a lawsuit filed by 28 children of Hiroshima atomic bombing survivors seeking government support for their medical costs. The plaintiffs, who were demanding 100,000 yen each in damages, argued that their exclusion from medical support violated their constitutional right to equality. However, the Hiroshima District Court ruled that the possibility of a hereditary effect from radiation cannot be denied, but there is no established scientific consensus and the government’s exclusion of the group from medical support is not unconstitutional.
The plaintiffs claimed that their parents’ radiation exposure during the US nuclear attack on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, has had a hereditary impact on their health, and they are constantly worried about developing various forms of cancer and other health problems. Many of them have indeed developed health issues, including cancer, and estimate their numbers at 300,000 to 500,000. The Japanese government has insisted that there is no scientific evidence showing a hereditary effect from parents’ radiation exposure on their children.
The court’s decision was met with criticism from the plaintiffs, with one of them, Taku Kakuda, saying that the ruling was “extremely cold” and “as if we were told to prove the radiation impact on humans with our bodies.” The group will appeal against the decision, which they called “unjust.”
Japanese Court Rejects Claim for Medical Support from Children of Hiroshima Atomic Bombing Survivors
The Japanese government has provided medical support for survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings since the 1950s, including those who were exposed in the womb. However, this support is limited to survivors and those with prenatal exposure who were certified, and does not include the children of survivors. The government has never established a specific medical support system for the “hibaku nisei,” as the second-generation survivors are called.
The atomic bombing of Hiroshima destroyed the city and killed 140,000 people, and the US dropped a second bomb three days later on Nagasaki, killing another 70,000, leading to Japan’s surrender on August 15, 1945. Many survivors of the bombings have lasting injuries and illnesses resulting from the explosions and radiation exposure, and have faced discrimination in Japan.
