Five groups of atomic bomb survivors in Nagasaki on Thursday asked Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to provide government benefits to A-bomb survivors in the prefecture who have been ineligible for assistance.
Leaders of the five groups also asked the government to immediately begin providing overseas hibakusha the same benefits they receive.
The officials met with Koizumi at a Nagasaki hotel after the prime minister attended the city's annual ceremony marking the anniversary of the U.S. bombing.
"The ceremony made me realize once again that war has left a serious scar (in Nagasaki)," Koizumi told the representatives. "The government will do its best to help A-bomb survivors solve their remaining problems."