RECOGNITION AT LAST: Hiroshima victims win court case
August 6, 2021 A group of hitherto unrecognized citizens of Hiroshima, who were contaminated by the radioactive and toxic “black rain” that fell after the August 6, 1945 atomic bombing of that city, won an important day in court last month. The 84 plaintiffs, who were living outside the official contamination zone when the bomb was dropped, will now receive the same health care and compensation as others, known as “Hibakusha”, according to the decision made by the Hiroshima high court. Importantly, the court acknowledged that people’s health was harmed not only by external exposures but by internal exposure to radiation through the ingestion of contaminated water and food. The ruling comes just in time as many Hibakusha have already passed away.