(6) Why are A-bomb survivors overseas and A-bomb survivors in Japan treated differently in terms of support?

A decision by the government creates this controversy

In the past few years, there have been several rulings concerning this issue. What points have been raised?

"Just because they live abroad, they couldn't receive compensation and medical care based on the Atomic Bomb Victims Relief Law," explains Kazuyuki Tamura, a professor at Ryukoku University, who serves as the representative for a group of survivors living in the US and Brazil.

Survivors in Japan with the Atomic Bomb Survivor Certificate are eligible to receive medical care and \32,000 ($270) as a monthly allowance for health care. However, survivors overseas, even if they possessed the same certificate, had been excluded from this support.

Mr. Morita (center) speaking in Hiroshima on March 11 about the struggles of survivors in Brazil

According to the A-bomb Survivors and Poison Gas Victims Relief Department within the Hiroshima Prefectural Government, after the war the government promoted emigration to Brazil. At the same time, many Koreans who had been forcibly brought to Japan returned to Korea.

I asked the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare for the number of survivors living overseas. They replied that there are about 4000 survivors, with the official certificate, in more than 30 countries. As of March 2006, this includes 2700 people in Korea and 900 people in the United States. In fact, it is assumed that there are more than 5000 people in all, taking into account survivors in North Korea and other survivors without the certificate.

The reason these people were excluded from support can be traced to Article 402, issued in 1974 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (now, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare). It stated that survivors living overseas could not receive compensation.

I imagine survivors overseas were greatly discouraged by this decision. The president of the Association of Atomic Bomb Victims in Brazil, Takashi Morita, recalls, "Survivors everywhere all experienced the same pain. But we were abandoned just because we don't live in Japan."

But why did the government set such a condition on support? In their own words, "We felt that Japanese law should not be applied to people living overseas." And yet they were affected by the bomb while in Japan. So why, once they started living abroad, were they excluded? Survivors have repeatedly questioned this discrimination in court.

In 2002, the Osaka High Court ruled that A-bomb survivors living overseas were entitled to compensation, too. So, from 2005, they have been able to apply for benefits from abroad. And yet the provision of an allowance for health care is still unresolved.

In fact, although the Japanese government agreed to reimburse the medical costs for overseas treatment, they set a ceiling of \130,000-142,000 a year ($1094-1195), depending on the type of treatment.

But the biggest obstacle is the rule that they have to come to Japan to obtain the Atomic Bomb Survivor Certificate. For elderly survivors, this is very difficult. Still, 189 people have visited Hiroshima to apply.

Professor Tamura says, "Originally, laws regarding survivors were made without concern for survivors overseas. Those laws should now be revised in order to provide them with proper support. For the survivors-on average, over 73 years old-it's really the last chance." (Kenda Takashi, staff writer)