Children of Hiroshima A-bomb survivors sued the central government on Friday, claiming Tokyo has denied them their constitutional right to pursue happiness by failing to provide financial support.
In what the plaintiffs say is the first lawsuit in Japan to address the impact radiation has had on the children of the hibakusha, they are demanding that the Atomic Bomb Survivors' Assistance Law be changed so that second-generation hibakusha can also be covered by it.
Arguing that their parents' exposure to radiation from the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima affected their own health as well, the 22 second-generation hibakusha are demanding the government pay them ¥100,000 each in compensation.