People who survived the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki proposed Wednesday that simpler criteria be used to more broadly recognize hibakusha as suffering from radiation-linked diseases, following a series of court rulings in their favor.
Under the criteria formulated by Nihon Hidankyo, survivors of the atomic bombings would be certified as radiation disease victims simply by developing certain diseases that could be linked to radiation, the group said at a press conference after concluding its two-day general meeting.
Under current government criteria, to be officially recognized as a radiation disease sufferer and collect the related benefits, the first diagnosis must be followed by further screening.