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Thoughts on relief for atomic bomb survivors since Obama's visit to Hiroshima
Correspondence
Thoughts on relief for atomic bomb survivors since Obama’s visit to Hiroshima President Obama visited Hiroshima in May, 2016, and he opened his speech with the phrase, “Seventy-one years ago, on a bright cloudless morning, death fell from the sky and the world was changed.” The record of the damage resulting from the atomic bombs has primarily been passed down as the memories of survivors. Nowadays, a number of these memories and various exhibitions can be found in the Atomic Bomb Museums in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Scientific reports of the medical effects of atomic bombs were published in six volumes in 1951 by the Army Institute of Pathology, United States Atomic Energy Commission.1 Together, these memories, exhibitions, and reports have constantly reminded the Japanese of the catastrophe that resulted from the explosion of the atomic bombs that killed 200 000 residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, relief provided for atomic bomb sufferers has only been for health damage caused by the radiation from the atomic bomb and not for the health damage caused by the physical explosion of the bomb. The Atomic Bomb Victims’ Relief Law aims “to maintain and enhance health status and to provide welfare to atomic bomb survivors suffering from health damage caused by radiation of atomic bomb”.2 The reason for addressing only health damage caused by radiation from the atomic bomb is derived from the post-war history of Japan. War damage to citizens, such as the Tokyo air-raid in which more than 100 000 people died, was not supported by the government. In order to distinguish atomic bomb sufferers from air-raid victims, radiation damage was adopted as the criterion for health support since that
damage occurred only to the atomic bomb survivors. The health effects of radiation on the atomic bomb survivors have been investigated by the ABCC/RERF (Atomic Bombs Casualty Commission and Radiation Effects Research Foundation) since 1950.3 Since the relief provided to atomic bomb survivors is limited to the health damage caused by atomic bomb radiation, every successful legal trial aimed at obtaining relief for survivors used health damage caused by radiation as the main justification. Therefore, damage due to radiation could be misunderstood as representing the entire damage caused by atomic bombs and this misunderstanding could be the cause of the excessive fear of radiation that started in Japan and spread across the globe. Health damage from atomic bombs is caused by two factors: the explosion of the atomic bombs themselves and the radiation emitted from them. Shortly after the accident at Fukushima, news articles appeared that mentioned that the scale of the accident was 200 times larger than the atomic bomb, based only on the reported amount of radioactive substances that were released. This would suggest the death of 40 million people, but in reality, no people died from health damage caused by radiation from the accident at Fukushima, which had 2 million residents. This example also shows the imbalance between the perceived fear of radiation compared with the horrors of the atomic bomb. However, it has to be recognised that the use of health damage from radiation to distinguish atomic bomb survivors from the other war-damaged citizens still remains the criterion for the medical relief for atomic bomb survivors in the post-war history of Japan.
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Oughterson AW, LeRoy GV, Liebow AA, et al. Medical effects of atomic bombs: the report of the Joint Commission for the investigation of the effects of the atomic bomb in Japan. Washington, DC: Army Institute of Pathology, United States Atomic Energy Commission, April 19, 1951. The Atomic Bomb Victim’s Relief Law. http://law.e-gov.go.jp/cgi-bin/idxselect. cgi?IDX_OPT=3&H_NAME=&H_NAME_ YOMI=%82%A0&H_RYAKU=1&H_CTG=1&H_ YOMI_GUN=1&H_CTG_GUN=1&H_NO_ GENGO=H&H_NO_YEAR=06&H_NO_ TYPE=2&H_FILE_NAME=H06HO117 (accessed Sept 20, 2016; in Japanese). Radiation Effects Research Foundation: a cooperative Japan–US Research Organization. http://www.rerf.jp/index_e.html (accessed Aug 5, 2016).
Published Online September 25, 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ S0140-6736(16)31728-7
For President Obama’s speech see http://nyti.ms/1U00v61
For Atomic Bomb Museums in Hiroshima see http://www.pcf. city.hiroshima.jp/outline/ outlineTop_E.html For Atomic Bomb Museums in Nagasaki see http:// nagasakipeace.jp/english.html
I declare no competing interests.
Shigenobu Nagataki [email protected] Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan; and Radiation Effects Association, Tokyo, Japan
www.thelancet.com Published online September 25, 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31728-7
1
Thoughts on relief for atomic bomb survivors since Obama’s visit to Hiroshima President Obama visited Hiroshima in May, 2016, and he opened his speech with the phrase, “Seventy-one years ago, on a bright cloudless morning, death fell from the sky and the world was changed.” The record of the damage resulting from the atomic bombs has primarily been passed down as the memories of survivors. Nowadays, a number of these memories and various exhibitions can be found in the Atomic Bomb Museums in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Scientific reports of the medical effects of atomic bombs were published in six volumes in 1951 by the Army Institute of Pathology, United States Atomic Energy Commission.1 Together, these memories, exhibitions, and reports have constantly reminded the Japanese of the catastrophe that resulted from the explosion of the atomic bombs that killed 200 000 residents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, relief provided for atomic bomb sufferers has only been for health damage caused by the radiation from the atomic bomb and not for the health damage caused by the physical explosion of the bomb. The Atomic Bomb Victims’ Relief Law aims “to maintain and enhance health status and to provide welfare to atomic bomb survivors suffering from health damage caused by radiation of atomic bomb”.2 The reason for addressing only health damage caused by radiation from the atomic bomb is derived from the post-war history of Japan. War damage to citizens, such as the Tokyo air-raid in which more than 100 000 people died, was not supported by the government. In order to distinguish atomic bomb sufferers from air-raid victims, radiation damage was adopted as the criterion for health support since that
damage occurred only to the atomic bomb survivors. The health effects of radiation on the atomic bomb survivors have been investigated by the ABCC/RERF (Atomic Bombs Casualty Commission and Radiation Effects Research Foundation) since 1950.3 Since the relief provided to atomic bomb survivors is limited to the health damage caused by atomic bomb radiation, every successful legal trial aimed at obtaining relief for survivors used health damage caused by radiation as the main justification. Therefore, damage due to radiation could be misunderstood as representing the entire damage caused by atomic bombs and this misunderstanding could be the cause of the excessive fear of radiation that started in Japan and spread across the globe. Health damage from atomic bombs is caused by two factors: the explosion of the atomic bombs themselves and the radiation emitted from them. Shortly after the accident at Fukushima, news articles appeared that mentioned that the scale of the accident was 200 times larger than the atomic bomb, based only on the reported amount of radioactive substances that were released. This would suggest the death of 40 million people, but in reality, no people died from health damage caused by radiation from the accident at Fukushima, which had 2 million residents. This example also shows the imbalance between the perceived fear of radiation compared with the horrors of the atomic bomb. However, it has to be recognised that the use of health damage from radiation to distinguish atomic bomb survivors from the other war-damaged citizens still remains the criterion for the medical relief for atomic bomb survivors in the post-war history of Japan.
1
2
3
Oughterson AW, LeRoy GV, Liebow AA, et al. Medical effects of atomic bombs: the report of the Joint Commission for the investigation of the effects of the atomic bomb in Japan. Washington, DC: Army Institute of Pathology, United States Atomic Energy Commission, April 19, 1951. The Atomic Bomb Victim’s Relief Law. http://law.e-gov.go.jp/cgi-bin/idxselect. cgi?IDX_OPT=3&H_NAME=&H_NAME_ YOMI=%82%A0&H_RYAKU=1&H_CTG=1&H_ YOMI_GUN=1&H_CTG_GUN=1&H_NO_ GENGO=H&H_NO_YEAR=06&H_NO_ TYPE=2&H_FILE_NAME=H06HO117 (accessed Sept 20, 2016; in Japanese). Radiation Effects Research Foundation: a cooperative Japan–US Research Organization. http://www.rerf.jp/index_e.html (accessed Aug 5, 2016).
Published Online September 25, 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ S0140-6736(16)31728-7
For President Obama’s speech see http://nyti.ms/1U00v61
For Atomic Bomb Museums in Hiroshima see http://www.pcf. city.hiroshima.jp/outline/ outlineTop_E.html For Atomic Bomb Museums in Nagasaki see http:// nagasakipeace.jp/english.html
I declare no competing interests.
Shigenobu Nagataki [email protected] Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan; and Radiation Effects Association, Tokyo, Japan
www.thelancet.com Published online September 25, 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)31728-7
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