Hiroshima ``Second-generation survivors'' lawsuit ruling today at Hiroshima District Court

A court ruling demanding reparations from the national government, claiming that it is unconstitutional for second-generation hibakusha, whose parents were survivors of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, to be excluded from the application of the law stipulating the support of atomic bomb survivors. He will be handed down at the Hiroshima District Court on the following day.

In a similar lawsuit filed by a second-generation survivor of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, the Nagasaki District Court dismissed the lawsuit in December last year, and the decision in Hiroshima is drawing attention.

The lawsuit was filed by 28 people, including second-generation hibakusha whose parents were victims of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima.

Based on the Atomic Bomb Survivors Aid Act, the government provides support for atomic bomb survivors, including health checkups, including cancer screening, and the elimination of co-payments for medical expenses, but does not cover second-generation A-bomb survivors. .

Regarding this, the plaintiff argued that ``it is against the constitution that stipulates equality under the law that we cannot receive support even though the genetic effects on health cannot be denied.'' I am seeking damages in Yen.

On the other hand, the government is demanding that the appeal be dismissed, saying, ``Various scientific studies have not confirmed the genetic effects of parental exposure.''

The judgment of this trial will be handed down at the Hiroshima District Court on the afternoon of the 7th.

In a similar lawsuit filed by a second-generation hibakusha in Nagasaki, the Nagasaki District Court dismissed the lawsuit last December, ruling that it did not violate the Constitution.

It is estimated that there are hundreds of thousands of second-generation survivors nationwide, and it will be interesting to see how the Hiroshima court will decide on the health effects of the atomic bombing and how the government should provide support.

What is a “Second Generation of A-bomb Survivors”?

"Second-generation survivors" refers to those whose parents or parents were both survivors, approximately 10 months after the atomic bombing, after June 1, 1946 in the case of Hiroshima, and June 4, 1946 in the case of Nagasaki. Refers to a person born after the date.

According to the National Liaison Council for Second-Generation A-bomb Survivors, it is estimated that there are about 300,000 to 500,000 second-generation A-bomb survivors nationwide, but the actual number has not been investigated, so the exact number is unknown. I don't know.

While the national government bears the medical expenses for "A-bomb survivors" based on the Atomic Bomb Survivor Support Act, support for "second-generation hibakusha" only allows them to receive a basic medical examination once a year free of charge. increase.

For this reason, second-generation A-bomb survivors are appealing to the government for better health checkups, and are continuing their activities to seek subsidies for medical expenses in the same way as A-bomb survivors.

Circumstances surrounding “second-generation survivors”

In 1973, the first group of second-generation A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima, the All-Dentsu Hiroshima Second-Generation Council, was established.

Starting in 1979, free health checkups were started for second-generation A-bomb survivors with the aim of alleviating their health concerns, but cancer screenings were not included.

After that, the activities of second-generation hibakusha spread throughout the country, and in 1988, a national organization of second-generation hibakusha, the "National Liaison Council for Second-generation Atomic Bomb Survivors," was established. I will continue.

In 1989 and 1992, the "Bill for Aid for Atomic Bomb Survivors" was proposed in the Diet, calling for support for second-generation A-bomb survivors. I was.

Then, in 1994, the current ``Atomic Bomb Victims Support Law'', the so-called ``Atomic Bomb Victims Support Law'' was enacted. Supplementary resolution was passed.

However, even after that, medical examinations for second-generation A-bomb survivors were limited to once a year, and the government has not conducted a fact-finding survey on how many second-generation A-bomb survivors there are nationwide.

The National Liaison Council for Second-Generation A-bomb Survivors and other groups have requested the government to revise the A-bomb Survivor Relief Act so that it applies to second-generation A-bomb survivors, and to implement general cancer screenings. Six years ago, in 2017, second-generation A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki lodged a lawsuit with the government, demanding that they be added to the A-bomb Survivor Relief Act.

The first of these was handed down at the Nagasaki District Court in December last year.

The Nagasaki District Court stated, ``We cannot deny the possibility that the health of second-generation A-bomb survivors may be genetically affected. The plaintiff has filed an appeal.