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© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Japan grants health benefits to A-bomb 'black rain' victims
By MARI YAMAGUCHI TOKYO©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
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Designer 02
Good
Richard Gallagher
Excellent. Though, as is well known, a bit too late for many.
elephant200
Yes! The survivors dont have much time left! That says all of the generousity of the Japanese LDP govt !
browny1
Rest assured there are only 2 reasons of substance as to why this decision was made.
1) The worlds media is focused on Japan atm. After IOC Bach's visit to Hiroshima last week and espousing peace & love, to deny essentially a handful of surviving victims compensation would have made Suga look darker than Darth. If it was 2 years ago no way would the "Elite" give way to "peasants".
2) As soon as the olympic circus is over, Suga will announce an election date - very soon after - and he doesn't want any other mean, miserly image of him being portrayed.
So in fact just a political click for self-benefit.
Robert Cikki
I am quite interested to know what made them change their minds after 76 years and recognize the victims' claim. I wouldn't have this question after, say, a year or two or ten. But after several decades? And I also wonder what preceded this decision, how much time they spent debating whether or not the victims had a legal claim. But something tells me it's still pretty late. After all, the youngest victims will be almost 80.
Pukey2
Great, when they'll be dead from old age very soon.
dagon
Suga's decision ends a long legal battle by the central government that delayed medical aid for the “black rain” victims, who were outside a government-set boundary used to decide survivors’ eligibility for medical care.
A craven delaying action until the victims are nearing the end of life and shamefully stingy behavior by the Japanese government.
Still will not stop Suga and his ilk using the victims for sympathy points.
voiceofokinawa
Why does the Japanese government keep paying compensations to the victims of the atomic bombs dropped by the U.S.? Shouldn't the U.S. government pay the indemnity because they were the real culprits?
People took it for granted for too long, never disputing its justice and legitimacy.
Sven Asai
That would be the first time in history, @voicofokinawa. The winner takes it all, the loser pays it all, in general. I also don’t know of any other outcomes anywhere else, fetching history data. Maybe the Marshall plan is an example for a certain time span, but also had longer time intentions though..
voiceofokinawa
Actually, it's the excessive U.S. military presence, especially in Okinawa, that I really want to take issue with.
Japan lost the war and the U.S. won, an undeniable fact. But if that is the reason why the U.S. military is stationed here, why do they keep saying the U.S. forces are here for the defense of Japan and on the legal basis of a bilateral agreement, the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan?
The treaty must be hanky-panky, a shenanigan to camouflage the hard reality. Scrap it for a new one.
Alan Harrison
Japan grants health benefits to A-bomb 'black rain' victims
A bit late in the day.
What puzzles me is the case itself. Either "black rain" fell, or it didn't.
Commodore Perry
Seeing that the government of Japan was responsible for these people being affected by the bombs in the first place, it should compensate them. These victims of Japan's imperialism should be honored with statues; tear down the Hiroshima museum to make space for them.