{"id":13471,"date":"2015-08-13T13:51:15","date_gmt":"2015-08-13T23:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=13471"},"modified":"2015-09-08T17:48:31","modified_gmt":"2015-09-09T03:48:31","slug":"mainichi-unequal-treatment-for-foreign-andor-foreign-residing-a-bomb-victims-supreme-court-decision-due-sept-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=13471","title":{"rendered":"Mainichi: Unequal treatment for foreign and\/or foreign-residing A-bomb victims? Supreme Court decision due Sept. 8"},"content":{"rendered":"

eBooks, Books, and more from Dr. ARUDOU, Debito (click on icon):
\n\"Guidebookcover.jpg\"<\/a>\"japaneseonlyebookcovertext\"<\/a>\"Handbook<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\u300c\u30b8\u30e3\u30d1\u30cb\u30fc\u30ba\u30fb\u30aa\u30f3\u30ea\u30fc\u3000\u5c0f\u6a3d\u5165\u6d74\u62d2\u5426\u554f\u984c\u3068\u4eba\u7a2e\u5dee\u5225\u300d\uff08\u660e\u77f3\u66f8\u5e97\uff09\"<\/a>\"sourstrawberriesavatar\"<\/a>\"debitopodcastthumb\"<\/a>\"FodorsJapan2014cover\"<\/a>
\nUPDATES ON TWITTER: arudoudebito
\nDEBITO.ORG PODCASTS on iTunes, subscribe free
\n“LIKE” US on Facebook at http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/debitoorg<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/handbookimmigrants<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/JapaneseOnlyTheBook<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BookInAppropriate<\/a>
\nIf you like what you read and discuss on Debito.org, please consider helping us stop hackers and defray maintenance costs with a little donation via my webhoster:
\n\"Donate<\/a>
\nAll donations go towards website costs only. Thanks for your support!<\/i><\/p>\n

Hi Blog. Continuing with historical reflection on the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII-Pacific and the dropping of the atomic bombs, let me turn the keyboard over to Debito.org Reader JK for an interesting insight, this time quite germane to the aims of Debito.org. \u00a0Let’s see what ruling gets handed down next month. \u00a0Dr. ARUDOU, Debito<\/p>\n

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/<\/p>\n

August 11, 2015<\/strong>
\nJK<\/strong>: Hi Debito. Here’s something you may not have considered — unequal treatment for foreign and\/or foreign-residing A-bomb victims. \u00a0<\/em>From the article below:<\/em><\/p>\n

“But separate from the law, the government sets an upper limit on financial medical aid to foreign atomic bomb sufferers.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

And this:<\/em><\/p>\n

“Similar lawsuits were filed with district courts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but the two courts rejected the demands from A-bomb sufferers living outside Japan.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Finally:<\/em><\/p>\n

“I want them (Japanese authorities) to treat us the same way as they do to A-bomb sufferers in Japan no matter where we live.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

There’s obviously plenty of fodder here for a blog entry on debito.org, but putting that aside for the moment, there’s something subtle I noticed when reading the article, specifically, this:<\/em><\/p>\n

\uff12\uff10\uff11\uff14\u5e74\uff16\u6708\u306e\u5927\u962a\u9ad8\u88c1\u5224\u6c7a\u306f\u3001\u63f4\u8b77\u6cd5\u306b\u3064\u3044\u3066\u300c\u56fd\u306e\u8cac\u4efb\u3067\u88ab\u7206\u8005\u306e\u6551\u6e08\u3092 \u56f3\u308b\u56fd\u5bb6\u88dc\u511f\u306e\u6027\u683c\u304c\u3042\u308b\u3002\u56fd\u5916\u3067\u306e\u533b\u7642\u8cbb\u3092\u652f\u7d66\u5bfe\u8c61\u304b\u3089\u9664\u5916\u3059\u308b\u3053 \u3068\u306f\u5408 \u7406\u7684\u3067\u306f\u306a\u3044\u300d\u306a\u3069\u3068\u8a8d\u5b9a\u3002<\/p>\n

In its June 2014 ruling, the Osaka High Court said that the Atomic Bomb Survivors’ Support Law “has an attribute of state reparations in which the state is required to take responsibility to give aid to A-bomb survivors. It is not reasonable to exclude medical expenses incurred abroad from the list of medical costs to be covered by the state.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Did you catch it?<\/em><\/p>\n

It’s this: reasonableness \/ unreasonableness as the basis for legal opinion (i.e. unreasonable exclusion of foreign medical expenses).<\/em><\/p>\n

Does this ring a bell for you? I sure hope so!<\/em><\/p>\n

If not, you may recall the legal opinion of a one Mr. Keiichi Sakamoto with regard to unreasonable discrimination<\/a>…<\/em><\/p>\n

Now, I am no lawyer, but the problem I see with using the notion of reasonableness \/ unreasonableness in this way is that it leaves the door open to abuse (e.g. there may be a scenario where excluding medical expenses incurred abroad by foreign A-bomb victims is, in the opinion of the court, reasonable, or discrimination by an onsen refusing to admit NJ *is* reasonable<\/a>, etc.)<\/em><\/p>\n

At any rate, here are the references.<\/em> Regards, JK<\/strong><\/p>\n

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/<\/p>\n

http:\/\/mainichi.jp\/english\/english\/newsselect\/news\/20150811p2a00m0na005000c.html<\/a>
\nSupreme Court likely to rule in favor of Korean A-bomb sufferers over medical costs<\/strong>
\n The Mainichi Shinbun, August 11, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Supreme Court has decided to rule Sept. 8 on a lower court decision revoking the 2011 Osaka Prefectural Government’s decision not to cover the medical costs of South Korean survivors of the Hiroshima atomic bombing who received medical treatment in South Korea.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Third Petty Bench of the Supreme Court is likely to uphold the Osaka High Court’s decision on the case as it has not held any hearings necessary to review the high court’s ruling that Japanese authorities must cover all medical expenses for A-bomb sufferers residing abroad.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The plaintiffs are a Korean who returned to South Korea after surviving the Hiroshima atomic bombing and relatives of two other now-deceased Korean A-bomb sufferers. Although the South Korean A-bomb survivors had received an Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Handbook, the Osaka Prefectural Government turned down their applications for provision of medical expenses incurred in South Korea. The plaintiffs have demanded that the Osaka Prefectural Government scrap its decision to refuse to pay them the medical costs, among other requests.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In its June 2014 ruling, the Osaka High Court said that the Atomic Bomb Survivors’ Support Law “has an attribute of state reparations in which the state is required to take responsibility to give aid to A-bomb survivors. It is not reasonable to exclude medical expenses incurred abroad from the list of medical costs to be covered by the state.” The Osaka High Court upheld the October 2013 Osaka District Court’s decision that called for payment of all medical costs and turned down an appeal from the Osaka Prefectural Government.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The state has been covering all medical expenses for A-bomb sufferers residing in Japan under the Atomic Bomb Survivors’ Support Law. But separate from the law, the government sets an upper limit on financial medical aid to foreign atomic bomb sufferers. Such being the case, A-bomb sufferers living abroad have argued that the government’s support for them is not enough.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, there were about 4,300 A-bomb sufferers living abroad who had an Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Handbook as of the end of March 2015. Similar lawsuits were filed with district courts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but the two courts rejected the demands from A-bomb sufferers living outside Japan.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The South Korean plaintiffs are likely to win the lawsuit being fought in Osaka over whether the provision for medical expense coverage stipulated in the Atomic Bomb Survivors’ Support Law applies to A-bomb sufferers living abroad. Supporters for A-bomb sufferers abroad said A-bomb victims and their bereaved families overseas had felt relieved after hearing the news. But because the district courts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki handed down opposite rulings over similar lawsuits, supporters for foreign A-bomb victims are calling for quickly removing the disparity in medical support between the victims in Japan and those abroad considering the years passed since the atomic bombings.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed in Osaka are Lee Hong-hyon, a 69-year-old South Korean man, and relatives of two other South Korean A-bomb sufferers who already passed away. They filed applications with the Osaka Prefectural Government to receive medical expenses incurred in South Korea. But the prefectural government turned down their applications, saying that medical expenses incurred overseas cannot be covered. Therefore, the South Koreans decided to file the lawsuit.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Junko Ichiba, 59-year-old chair of the Association of Citizens for the Support of South Korean Atomic Bomb Victims, conveyed the latest development to the South Korean plaintiffs on the evening of Aug. 10. Ichiba quoted Lee Hong-hyon as saying, “I want them (Japanese authorities) to treat us the same way as they do to A-bomb sufferers in Japan no matter where we live.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

People concerned with the lawsuits in Hiroshima and Nagasaki expressed hope that the Osaka case would have a positive effect on the cases in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Keizaburo Toyonaga, a 79-year-old A-bomb sufferer who heads the Hiroshima branch of the “Citizens’ Association for Helping Korean A-bomb Survivors,” said, “I am very pleased. The Atomic Bomb Survivors’ Support Law should be revised as soon as possible.” Nobuto Hirano, co-representative of a Nagasaki-based liaison support group for A-bomb victims overseas, said, “It is good news. The state should revise the system promptly.” The group provides support to plaintiffs in the Nagasaki case.<\/em><\/strong>
\nENDS<\/p>\n

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/<\/p>\n

\u5728\u5916\u88ab\u7206\u8005\u533b\u7642\u8cbb\uff1a\u300c\u5168\u984d\u652f\u7d66\u300d\u78ba\u5b9a\u3078\uff19\u6708\uff18\u65e5\u6700\u9ad8\u88c1\u5224\u6c7a
\nhttp:\/\/mainichi.jp\/select\/news\/20150811k0000m040074000c.html<\/a><\/p>\n

\u88ab\u7206\u8005\u63f4\u8b77\u6cd5\u306e\u533b\u7642\u8cbb\u652f\u7d66\u898f\u5b9a\u304c\u6d77\u5916\u306b\u4f4f\u3080\u88ab\u7206\u8005\u306b\u9069\u7528\u3055\u308c\u308b\u304b\u304c\u4e89\u308f\u308c\u305f\u8a34\u8a1f\u306e\u4e0a\u544a\u5be9\u3067\u3001\u6700\u9ad8\u88c1\u7b2c\uff13\u5c0f\u6cd5\u5ef7\uff08\u5ca1\u90e8\u559c\u4ee3\u5b50\u88c1\u5224\u9577\uff09\u306f\u5224\u6c7a\u671f\u65e5\u3092\uff19\u6708\uff18\u65e5\u306b\u6307\u5b9a\u3057\u305f\u3002\u9ad8\u88c1\u306e\u5224\u65ad\u3092\u898b\u76f4\u3059\u969b\u306b\u5fc5\u8981\u306a\u5f01\u8ad6\u3092\u958b\u3044\u3066\u304a\u3089\u305a\u3001\u5728\u5916\u88ab\u7206\u8005\u306e\u533b\u7642\u8cbb\u306e\u5168\u984d\u652f\u7d66\u3092\u8a8d\u3081\u305f\u5927\u962a\u9ad8\u88c1\u5224\u6c7a\u304c\u78ba\u5b9a\u3059\u308b\u898b\u901a\u3057\u3068\u306a\u3063\u305f\u3002<\/p>\n

\u539f\u544a\u306f\u3001\u5e83\u5cf6\u3067\u88ab\u7206\u3057\u97d3\u56fd\u306b\u5e30\u56fd\u3057\u305f\u88ab\u7206\u8005\u3084\u6b7b\u4ea1\u3057\u305f\u88ab\u7206\u8005\u306e\u907a\u65cf\u3089\u3002\u88ab\u7206\u8005\u5065\u5eb7\u624b\u5e33\u306e\u4ea4\u4ed8\u3092\u53d7\u3051\u305f\u304c\u3001\u97d3\u56fd\u3067\u306e\u533b\u7642\u8cbb\u306e\u652f\u7d66\u7533\u8acb\u3092\u5927\u962a\u5e9c\u306b\u5374\u4e0b\u3055\u308c\u3001\u51e6\u5206\u306e\u53d6\u308a\u6d88\u3057\u306a\u3069\u3092\u6c42\u3081\u3066\u3044\u305f\u3002<\/p>\n

\uff12\uff10\uff11\uff14\u5e74\uff16\u6708\u306e\u5927\u962a\u9ad8\u88c1\u5224\u6c7a\u306f\u3001\u63f4\u8b77\u6cd5\u306b\u3064\u3044\u3066\u300c\u56fd\u306e\u8cac\u4efb\u3067\u88ab\u7206\u8005\u306e\u6551\u6e08\u3092\u56f3\u308b\u56fd\u5bb6\u88dc\u511f\u306e\u6027\u683c\u304c\u3042\u308b\u3002\u56fd\u5916\u3067\u306e\u533b\u7642\u8cbb\u3092\u652f\u7d66\u5bfe\u8c61\u304b\u3089\u9664\u5916\u3059\u308b\u3053\u3068\u306f\u5408\u7406\u7684\u3067\u306f\u306a\u3044\u300d\u306a\u3069\u3068\u8a8d\u5b9a\u3002\u533b\u7642\u8cbb\u306e\u5168\u984d\u652f\u7d66\u3092\u8a8d\u3081\u305f\uff11\u5be9\u30fb\u5927\u962a\u5730\u88c1\u5224\u6c7a\uff08\uff11\uff13\u5e74\uff11\uff10\u6708\uff09\u3092\u652f\u6301\u3057\u3001\u5e9c\u5074\u306e\u63a7\u8a34\u3092\u68c4\u5374\u3057\u3066\u3044\u305f\u3002<\/p>\n

\u56fd\u306f\u63f4\u8b77\u6cd5\u306b\u57fa\u3065\u3044\u3066\u3001\u56fd\u5185\u306e\u88ab\u7206\u8005\u306b\u533b\u7642\u8cbb\u3092\u5168\u984d\u652f\u7d66\u3057\u3066\u3044\u308b\u3002\u3057\u304b\u3057\u5728\u5916\u88ab\u7206\u8005\u306b\u3064\u3044\u3066\u306f\u63f4\u8b77\u6cd5\u3068\u306f\u5225\u67a0\u3067\u4e0a\u9650\u3092\u8a2d\u3051\u3066\u533b\u7642\u8cbb\u3092\u52a9\u6210\u3057\u3001\u5728\u5916\u88ab\u7206\u8005\u3089\u306f\u300c\u4e0d\u5341\u5206\u3060\u300d\u3068\u8a34\u3048\u3066\u3044\u305f\u3002<\/p>\n

\u539a\u751f\u52b4\u50cd\u7701\u306b\u3088\u308b\u3068\u88ab\u7206\u8005\u5065\u5eb7\u624b\u5e33\u3092\u6301\u3064\u5728\u5916\u88ab\u7206\u8005\u306f\uff13\u6708\u672b\u73fe\u5728\u3067\u7d04\uff14\uff13\uff10\uff10\u4eba\u3002\u5e83\u5cf6\u3001\u9577\u5d0e\u4e21\u5730\u88c1\u3067\u3082\u540c\u7a2e\u306e\u8a34\u8a1f\u304c\u8d77\u3053\u3055\u308c\u3066\u3044\u305f\u304c\u3001\u5728\u5916\u88ab\u7206\u8005\u5074\u306e\u8acb\u6c42\u3092\u68c4\u5374\uff08\u3044\u305a\u308c\u3082\u63a7\u8a34\uff09\u3057\u3066\u304a\u308a\u3001\u53f8\u6cd5\u5224\u65ad\u304c\u5206\u304b\u308c\u3066\u3044\u305f\u3002\u3010\u5c71\u672c\u5c06\u514b\u3011<\/p>\n

\"mainichi081015\"<\/a><\/p>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n

==========================================
\n— UPDATE: GOOD NEWS. DEBITO<\/p>\n

Supreme Court rules hibakusha overseas are entitled to full medical expenses
\nBY TOMOHIRO OSAKI STAFF WRITER
\nTHE JAPAN TIMES, SEP 8, 2015
\nhttp:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/news\/2015\/09\/08\/national\/crime-legal\/supreme-court-rules-hibakusha-overseas-entitled-full-medical-expenses\/<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JK: Hi Debito. Here’s something you may not have considered — unequal treatment for foreign and\/or foreign-residing A-bomb victims.
\nFrom the article below: “But separate from the law, the government sets an upper limit on financial medical aid to foreign atomic bomb sufferers.” And this: “Similar lawsuits were filed with district courts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but the two courts rejected the demands from A-bomb sufferers living outside Japan.” Finally: “I want them (Japanese authorities) to treat us the same way as they do to A-bomb sufferers in Japan no matter where we live.”<\/p>\n

There’s obviously plenty of fodder here for a blog entry on debito.org, but putting that aside for the moment, there’s something subtle I noticed when reading the article: In its June 2014 ruling, the Osaka High Court said that the Atomic Bomb Survivors’ Support Law “has an attribute of state reparations in which the state is required to take responsibility to give aid to A-bomb survivors. It is not reasonable to exclude medical expenses incurred abroad from the list of medical costs to be covered by the state.”<\/p>\n

Did you catch it? It’s this: reasonableness \/ unreasonableness as the basis for legal opinion (i.e. unreasonable exclusion of foreign medical expenses). Does this ring a bell for you? Recall the legal opinion of a one Mr. Keiichi Sakamoto with regard to unreasonable discrimination [when ruling against you in the Otaru Onsens Case].<\/p>\n

Now, I am no lawyer, but the problem I see with using the notion of reasonableness \/ unreasonableness in this way is that it leaves the door open to abuse (e.g. there may be a scenario where excluding medical expenses incurred abroad by foreign A-bomb victims is, in the opinion of the court, reasonable, or discrimination by an onsen refusing to admit NJ *is* reasonable, etc.). [Let’s see what the Supreme Court hands down on September 8.]<\/p>\n

— UPDATE: GOOD NEWS:
\nSupreme Court rules hibakusha overseas are entitled to full medical expenses
\nBY TOMOHIRO OSAKI STAFF WRITER
\nTHE JAPAN TIMES, SEP 8, 2015
\nhttp:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/news\/2015\/09\/08\/national\/crime-legal\/supreme-court-rules-hibakusha-overseas-entitled-full-medical-expenses\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,28,36,35,20,5,12,15,56,60,2,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pinprick-protests","category-anti-discrimination-templates","category-bad-social-science","category-good-news","category-history","category-human-rights","category-immigration-assimilation","category-lawsuits","category-nj-legacies","category-nj-voices-ignored","category-otaru-onsen-lawsuit","category-8"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13471\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}