Tokyo: The Japanese government on Thursday
apologised to those seeking recognition as A-bomb-related
illness sufferers in a series of lawsuits.
"The state solemnly acknowledges the fact that stern
judicial decisions have been given on 19 occasions over the
government certification of atomic bomb-related illnesses,"
Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said.
"During this period, the lawsuits have been drawn out,
A-bomb survivors have aged, and their illnesses have
worsened," the secretary noted.
"By extending its thoughts to A-bomb survivors`
sufferings, which cannot be described in words, and to the
sentiments the plaintiffs have put into the jointly filed
lawsuits, the state apologizes for all that," he added.
Kawamura promised the government will try to get as many
survivors as possible certified as sufferers of
atomic-bomb-related illnesses under the government`s revised
criteria.
The remarks were made shortly after Prime Minister Taro
Aso and a group representing atomic-bomb survivors signed an
agreement to provide relief to all 306 plaintiffs who sued
the state over the certification.
Bureau Report
