Dec 19 (NHK) - Japan's Supreme Court has ruled against more than 380 people seeking official recognition as survivors of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in 1945.
A total of 388 people sought the status of "hibakusha" -- or atomic bomb survivors -- which would give them access to free medical treatment for cancer and other illnesses.
At the time of the bombing, the plaintiffs were outside the perimeter that would have earned them recognition as "hibakusha."
Their presence within 12 kilometers of the hypocenter gives them the right to a medical allowance for psychological disorders, as "individuals who experienced the bombing."
In his ruling on Monday, presiding justice Katsuyuki Kizawa said 387 of the plaintiffs were unlikely to suffer from health problems caused by radiation.
The Supreme Court ordered a retrial for one person who had entered the designated perimeter of Nagasaki City right after the atomic bombing.
Source: ANNnewsCH
