Atomic bomb survivors may file several lawsuits nationwide demanding that the government recognize their bomb-related illnesses and pay them special medical allowances, according to sources familiar with the case.
The Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hidankyo) wants the survivors to file class-action suits in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and other locations in the spring. The prospective plaintiffs are demanding the government nullify its earlier dismissal of their applications to be recognized as victims of illnesses related to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
It would be the first time for A-bomb survivors to file lawsuits of this kind in groups.
Individuals have filed such suits in the past, with Nagasaki native Hideko Matsuya winning a Supreme Court decision in July 2000.
Two other A-bomb survivors are involved in separate trials before the Tokyo and Sapporo district courts.
Hidankyo Secretary General Terumi Tanaka said, "I want the government to sufficiently probe each case."
Another Hidankyo spokesman added, "If they unite, they will help create the power to shake the government."
As of March, there were 291,824 certified A-bomb survivors in Japan. Of these, only 2,238 were judged by the government to be suffering from A-bomb-related illnesses.
Each year, the government receives 300 to 400 applications from people claiming illnesses from the bombings. The government acknowledged 120 as survivors in 2000.
The government provides individuals with about 140,000 yen a month in medical allowances if it recognizes them as suffering from bomb-related illness.