Plaintiffs who are seeking recognition as atomic bomb survivors and their lawyers held a meeting to brief supporters and others about Monday’s ruling of their case by the Nagasaki District Court.
Iwanaga Chiyoko, who heads the plaintiffs’ group, referred to the ruling that recognized as hibakusha only residents of three villages located east of ground zero.
Iwanaga said the impact of radioactive substances was not only felt east of ground zero. She said she hoped for a ruling that was based on facts.
She added the plaintiffs have aged, but with the help of their lawyers they intend to keep fighting. She expressed her readiness to do her utmost so court judges will acknowledge the truth of internal exposure.
Another plaintiff, Yamauchi Takeshi, called the ruling extremely worrisome as it will bring about division among survivors. He pointed out that Nagasaki remains divided within a 12-kilometer radius, while Hiroshima has set the designated zone of radiation exposure to nearly 40 kilometers from ground zero.
The criteria of certifying as hibakusha, atomic bomb survivor, is set by the central government. Officials from the health ministry took sides with the city and the prefecture of Nagasaki as participants in the court proceedings.
The ministry issued a comment on Monday’s ruling, saying that part of the local governments’ claim was not approved. It said it will closely examine the ruling and decide how to respond after consulting relevant ministries and agencies, as well as the city and the prefecture of Nagasaki.