2 Dutch ex-POWs set to apply for Japan's A-bomb recognition+

THE HAGUE, Sept. 20 Kyodo -
Two Dutch men who were detained in a prison camp in Nagasaki during World War
II and survived the 1945 atomic bombing of the southern Japanese city are
preparing to apply for the Japanese government's recognition as suffering from
radiation-related illness to receive medical benefits, they said in recent
interviews with Kyodo News.
Their move has come on the heels of the legal amendment in June that enables
survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima who currently
live outside Japan to apply for such recognition at Japan's overseas diplomatic
posts. The two will make the applications through the Japanese Embassy in the
Netherlands.
It is rare for former captives of the Imperial Japanese Army to file such
applications as it has been widely believed that overseas survivors are mainly
those of Japanese nationality who later moved to Brazil or South Koreans who
were brought to Japan as forced laborers later during the war.
There are currently an estimated 70 or more atomic bomb survivors of Dutch
nationality, and similar applications are expected to be filed with the
Japanese government in the future.
The two men -- Ronald Scholte who currently resides in the southern Netherlands
and Armand Busselaar from The Hague -- became aware of the possibility of
obtaining healthcare benefits through a local supporters' group called Pelita
this summer. Both are now 84.
Scholte and Busselaar are set to apply for preliminary examinations with the
Nagasaki city government shortly through their proxies and will go into the
actual procedures following the implementation of the amendment slated for
later this year.
In the interview, Scholte said he wants to be recognized as a survivor and
receive support as soon as possible.
Scholte said it is possible to prove they are survivors of the bombing because
the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the city government
still keep lists of prisoners' names.
Earlier this year, the Japanese Embassy in the Netherlands received an inquiry
from members of a group seeking compensation for war victims about how to apply
for medical benefits with the Japanese government, according to embassy
officials.
The group has sent letters to Dutch survivors to confirm if they are interested
in filing for recognition.
''The planned move by the two men is expected to shed light on former war
prisoners who have been kept in the dark about aid for atomic bomb victims and
to pave the way for more relief to more victims,'' said Nobuto Hirano, a
61-year-old representative of a Nagasaki-based group supporting atomic bomb
survivors abroad.
Hiroshi Tanaka, a professor at Ryukoku University, said, ''The Japanese
government should quickly move to provide thorough information on the relief
measures to overseas survivors.''
Shortly before the Aug. 9, 1945, bombing, Scholte was digging to create an air
raid shelter near the prison camp. He said that he suddenly saw a dazzling
light and that the blast blew him 3 meters into the shelter. He temporarily
lost consciousness but received no major injuries.
After returning to the Netherlands, he worked as an engineer for the army until
he retired at the age of 57. Five years ago, he was diagnosed with prostate
cancer and underwent radiation treatment.