On Aug. 6, the 64th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Prime Minister Taro Aso signed an agreement with representatives of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic-bombing survivors who had filed lawsuits seeking recognition as sufferers of radiation-related illnesses. Under the agreement, plaintiffs who have won district court-level lawsuits will be certified as sufferers.

For those who have lost cases in district courts, Diet members will write and pass a bill to create a fund to financially assist them. Those certified as sufferers of A-bomb illnesses receive a monthly allowance of around ¥137,000 plus free medical treatment.

The agreement signed by Mr. Aso smacks of being a vote-getting measure ahead of the Aug. 30 Lower House election, as Mr. Aso never took the initiative in crafting the agreement. Still, it can serve as a first step toward improved relief for more atomic- bombing survivors with long-term illnesses.

Problems, however, remain with the agreement, which covers 306 people who went to court in and after 2003 and didn't come until after the government had lost 19 consecutive lawsuits. Regardless of whether there is a change in government as a result of the Aug. 30 general election, the government must ensure that the planned fund for survivors is adequately funded.

According to plaintiffs' lawyers, some 7,700 people have not yet been examined by a certification panel despite their requests for certification under new, less strict criteria drawn up in April 2008. So, the big question will be how to help these people, who are not covered by this month's agreement.

One of the conditions for recognizing people as sufferers of an A-bomb illness is that they suffer from any of five medical conditions, including cancer, leukemia and hyperparathyroidism. In and after March 2009, several court rulings accepted illnesses like hypothyroidism, cirrhosis, keloid, plus an aftereffect of cerebral infarction as certifiable conditions. In June, a health ministry panel added radiation-related cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis and hypothyroidism to the list. The government should overhaul the certification system to ensure wide and quick certification of A-bomb survivors suffering from long-term illnesses.