Lawsuit on Nuclear Exposure

Former fishermen and their families filed a new lawsuit against the government of Japan on Monday. They were working on fishing boat around Marshall Islands, Pacific Ocean, where United States was exercising hydrogen bomb tests in 1954. Forty-five plaintiffs accused Japanese government not to require compensation to U.S. and not to take care of them, causing delay of taking action against U.S. All they want is compensation of ¥2 million each for their pain for half a century.

U.S. made six hydrogen bomb tests in Marshall Islands between March and May of 1954, which caused broad fall of radioactive materials in the region. It appeared that twenty-three fishermen on Fukuryumaru No.5 were exposed to the nuclear fallout in Experiment Bravo on March 1^st, and one of the crews, Aikichi Kuboyama, died a month later. Negotiation between Japan and U.S. over compensation for nuclear tests was settled by paying $2 million as solatium.

However, there were hundreds of Japanese fishing boats working there, when U.S. was making nuclear experiments. Although Japanese government had made research on how the fishermen were exposed to radiation, it did not disclose the data until 2014. The plaintiffs argues that they lost the opportunity for requesting compensation to U.S., because Japanese government ended its investigation with political settlement only for Fukuryumaru No.5 that caused inability of proving their exposure to radiation.

Psychological pressure on nuclear sufferers was as great as unimaginable. Some of the fishermen died as young as forty years old with unknown reason. Others needed to spend their life with deep concern of whenever they would be killed by invisible radiation. As same as hibakusha in Hiroshima or Nagasaki, nuclear exposed people can be the object of discrimination. Not only those people, their children born afterward can be regarded as affected by radiation.

Japanese government has kept those people left behind until 2014. According to a news report, one fisherman had inspection right after arriving a port in Japan, which showed major response to radiation on his raincoat. He was fired when he suffered from unidentified fever a week later. “Japanese government was responsible for finding what was happening on my body,” told the fisherman.

The case of Fukuryumaru No.5 ignited anti-nuclear movement in 1950s. Although the lawsuit may not lead to new anti-nukes movement, it is possible that other fishermen will follow with additional lawsuits. Ignorance on this inhumane pain will take its toll from Japanese government.