Representatives of plaintiffs seeking state recognition as survivors of the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki have requested that local government officials recognize all the plaintiffs as hibakusha.
Forty-four plaintiffs from Nagasaki Prefecture who were outside the government-designated radiation exposure zone had demanded official recognition as atomic bomb survivors in lawsuits filed at the Nagasaki District Court.
The court ruled on Monday that 15 of the plaintiffs should be recognized as hibakusha, saying that so-called black rain containing radioactive substances fell in some areas outside the zone.
On Tuesday, the representatives met officials of Nagasaki City and Nagasaki Prefecture, and handed them a request document to urge for a swift resolution.
They demanded that all of the plaintiffs be recognized as hibakusha, and also urged the officials to issue atomic bomb survivor’s certificates for the 15 plaintiffs, without filing an appeal.
Iwanaga Chiyoko, who heads the plaintiffs’ group, said she cannot accept the ruling that does not recognize all the plaintiffs, and that she wants the city and prefecture to stand firm against the state.
The officials responded that Nagasaki Mayor Suzuki Shiro and Nagasaki Governor Oishi Kengo will visit the welfare ministry on Wednesday to convey the plaintiffs’ demands. They also indicated that they will discuss ways to recognize hibakusha with state officials.