Gov't not to appeal A-bomb suit loss at Tokyo High Court+

TOKYO, June 9 Kyodo - The government will not appeal a Tokyo High Court ruling ordering the state to certify 29 of 30 plaintiffs as suffering from illness caused by radiation from the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, welfare minister Yoichi
Masuzoe said Tuesday.

A senior government official, who asked not to be named, suggested the state
will review its criteria for acknowledging patients of atomic bomb-related
diseases to expand relief to the sufferers, saying, ''We'd like to work out a
certain outline by the (64th) anniversaries of the bombings in August.''
On whether all the plaintiffs of a series of A-bomb suits would be subject to
relief, Masuzoe said Prime Minister Taro Aso would make a final decision.
However, Aso appeared negative toward the idea, saying, ''I think it is legally
difficult'' to provide redress to all the plaintiffs as cases differ
''considerably'' from each other regarding the conditions of the atomic
bomb-related diseases.
''We made the decision (not to appeal) from the standpoint of the victims,''
Aso told reporters, but declined to comment on whether the government will
review its criteria for acknowledging sufferers of atomic bomb-related
diseases.
Meanwhile, Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba expressed hopes that the government
will extend relief to all the plaintiffs. ''I earnestly hope that the
government will sincerely listen to the voices of the plaintiffs and provide a
comprehensive settlement of this issue, standing in a position to relieve
atomic bomb victims who are aging and are suffering from diseases,'' he said.
The May 28 ruling constitutes the central government's 18th straight loss in
both district and high courts in lawsuits over the certification of sufferers
of atomic bomb-related diseases.
At the high court, Presiding Judge Tatsuki Inada said in handing down the
ruling, ''The (current) screening rules are inappropriate in certifying atomic
bomb-related diseases.''
The court determined that plaintiffs with liver failure and underactive thyroid
function -- diseases which are excluded from the list of those the state
proactively certifies -- should be certified as atomic-bomb sufferers.
An expert panel is set to reach a conclusion later this month on whether to
include these two diseases in the list for proactive certification.
Masuzoe met representatives of plaintiffs and lawyers of the suit on Tuesday at
the Diet building and told them of the decision not to appeal the latest
ruling.
A total of about 300 people across Japan had filed lawsuits seeking
certification at 17 district courts. Thirteen district courts and four high
courts had ruled in favor of the plaintiffs before the May 28 high court
ruling.
The Tokyo High Court dismissed one plaintiff's claim, citing difficulty in
establishing a link between his illness and radiation exposure. Certified
sufferers are eligible for 137,000 yen a month in medical allowances.
==Kyodo