In its verdict, the Hiroshima District Court said that the 84 plaintiffs, who suffered radiation-related illnesses after the WWII bombing, should receive the same benefits as other victims who lived closer to the scope of the blast.
The bombings left tens of thousands of people to die slowly from burns or radiation-related illnesses. They also caused radioactive “black rain” to fall in the region, a mix of particles from the explosion, carbon debris from citywide fires and other dangerous elements. Black rain fell on people’s skin and clothing, inhaled, contaminated food and water, and caused widespread radiation poisoning.
The United States remains the only country that uses an atomic bomb in war.
Seiji Takato, 79, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, was 4 years old when the bombing occurred. He developed inflammation of the lymph in his arm when he was 8 years old, and since then he has suffered a stroke and heart problems.
But until now, he and others living in the “light rain” exposure zones have been unable to access the free medical care offered to victims in the “heavy rain” zones, the areas identified by the government as the most affected and closest to the area of the explosion. This verdict marks the first time that victims outside this area receive the same benefits.
“We have been telling the government the facts and the truth as they were. But they had never heard us,” Takato said after the court issued its decision. “I am extremely happy. I did not expect the 84 (plaintiffs) to win the case.”
Takato added that he had been “anxious” because all of the plaintiffs were now elderly, mainly in their 80s and 90s. “We would all die if this (case) went on,” he said.
The verdict ordered the city and the prefecture government to provide plaintiffs with a certificate recognizing them as “victims of the atomic bomb,” granting them medical benefits for the time they received treatment, worth approximately $ 300 per month.
At a press conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the government had not decided whether to appeal the ruling. “The ministries, Hiroshima prefecture and the city of Hiroshima will examine the verdict in detail to decide what action to take,” he said.
75 years later
The landmark failure comes a week before the 75th anniversary of the attack, when former US President Harry S. Truman authorized the US B-29 bomber Enola Gay to drop a code-named “Little Boy” nuclear bomb in Hiroshima.
Those who survived say the detonation began with a silent flash and a massive wave of intense heat that turned clothing into rags. Those closest to the impact site were immediately vaporized or burned to ashes. There was a deafening outburst and explosion that felt to some as being stabbed by hundreds of needles.
Then the fires started. Tornadoes of flames razed the city. Many survivors were found covered in blisters. Bodies full of streets.
Total devastation has led many, including former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, to criticize the decision to use an atomic bomb.
In 1958, the Hiroshima City Council passed a resolution condemning Truman for refusing to express remorse, calling the former President’s stance “serious corruption committed against the Hiroshima people and their fallen victims.”
But Truman’s position only hardened, writing in response: “I believe that the sacrifice of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was urgent and necessary for the future well-being of Japan and the Allies.”
The horror of the bombing and its consequences have been recorded and memorized at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which is located near ground zero of the Japanese city.
Some survivors have made it their personal mission to ensure that no one forgets the hellish events in Hiroshima.
Retired teacher Kosei Mito survived the explosion inside her mother’s womb: she was four months pregnant when the bomb fell. She has been at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial almost every day for the past 13 years, presenting documentation of the bombing and its aftermath in a variety of languages, and studying folders with visitors.
“Without knowing the historical facts, we can repeat the same mistakes again,” he said. “We have no responsibility for what happened in the past, but we have responsibility for the future.”
CNN’s Brad Lendon, Thom Patterson and Ryan Browne contributed to this report.
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