The government filed an appeal Friday against an Aug. 4 court ruling that said all 41 plaintiffs involved a jointly filed lawsuit should be certified as suffering from illnesses caused by radiation from the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima, officials said.
The Hiroshima District Court ruling voided an administrative action that was aimed at having the plaintiffs' applications for state recognition as radiation sufferers rejected.
The court acknowledged that the plaintiffs should be certified as sufferers of bombing-related illnesses, calling into question the government's current criteria for issuing such certification.