Present Situation of Atomic Bomb

Cover-up of Injuries from Atomic Bombing
and Severe Effects of Internal Exposure to Residual Radiation



Present Situation of Atomic Bomb Survivors and Estimation of Radiation Effects
Now, after sixty-five years of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombing, many atomic
bomb survivors are still suffering aftereffect diseases. The Japanese government has
provided special medical and livelihood assistance to survivors whose diseases are
verified to be from the effects of the atomic bomb radiation, however, the criteria
adopted by the subcommittee of Atomic Bomb Survivors Medical Care of the Ministry
of Health, Labor and Welfare are very strict and far removed from the actual situation of
many survivors. The numbers of legally accepted atomic bomb survivors who hold a
health note book was 380,000 in 1980 and the number of survivors who were certified
as suffering from diseases caused by the atomic bomb radiation effects by the Japanese
government was 4,400 at that time. After 1980, the number of certified survivors rapidly
decreased from above 4,000 to about 2,000 which was less than 0.8% of the total
survivors of 270,000 in 2003 reflecting only the political and financial grounds of the
government. Now a collective lawsuit has been going on from 2003 in 17 local courts
by 306 atomic bomb survivors against the Japanese government demanding withdrawal
of rejection of application to certify atomic bomb disease. Prior to the collective lawsuit
seven successive judgments including those by the Supreme Court and by two high
courts had pointed out that the criteria for atomic bomb disease certification by the
government is not consistent with the actual conditions of survivors and decided to
withdraw the rejections. However, the Japanese government had introduced more severe
criteria about probability of causation by which even the applications of survivors who
got favorable judicial decisions will be also rejected.
The criteria, the probability of causation, of atomic bomb disease certification has
been based on the Atomic Bomb Radiation Dosimetry System 1986 (DS86) and results
of the epidemiological research that has been done at the Radiation Effect Research
Foundation (RERF) which is the successor of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission
(ABCC). The epidemiological survey of RERF put emphasis only on the initial
radiation (gamma rays and neutrons ) which were emitted within 1 minute after the
explosion and the effects of the residual radiation had not been considered. The initial
radiation had caused acute external exposure meaning irradiation from outside of human

body. There are two sources for the atomic bomb residual radiation; one is from radioactivated
matter induced by the initial neutrons and the other is the radioactive fallout
which include the fission products, neutron-induced equipments of the atomic bombs
and fissile materials (uranium and /or plutonium) leaving without fission. Beyond
external exposure effects, the major effects of residual radiation are chronic internal
exposure due to intake of radioactive matter by respiration, ingestion and other forms.
􀉹􀉹The nuclear weapon states, among which the US takes a leading role, have hidden the
severe effects and inhuman character of internal exposure, in order to maintain their
arguments that the injuries from a nuclear explosion can be restricted. The International
Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), which has set international standards
of radiation protection, has been influenced by the policies of governments of the US
and Soviet Union and especially has relied on the epidemiological studies of RERF.
Then the international standards of radiation protection set by ICRP have the same
problems. Therefore to clarify the severe effects of internal exposure from the scientific
standpoint is an important task for the future of human beings.
After 6 successive lost cases of the collective lawsuit the Japanese government
revised their criteria for atomic bomb diseases by abolishing the probability of causation
and accepted the effects of exposure to residual radiation in March 2008. On the
memorial day of Hiroshima, 6 August this year, after 19 successive lost cases including
5 decisions of higher courts, the prime minister signed a note of confirmation with the
Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, which have promoted
the collective lawsuit. In the note the government promised that the government will be
subjected to decisions of local courts and withdrew appeals to the higher courts.