Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso and sufferers of radiation-related illnesses caused by the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki signed a relief agreement on Thursday, offering a blanket resolution to all 306 plaintiffs, Xinhua reported.
The accord came after the six-year-long legal battle involving the 306 plaintiffs, of whom 109 have yet to win the recognition, including 63 who failed to be awarded certification in court or who are waiting for a ruling.
The new government relief measures granted certification to plaintiffs after their initial victory at district court level, even though high courts have yet to rule on their cases.
Official certification entitles suffers to medical treatment at public expense as well as a monthly health allowance.
Under the agreement, the government will compensate plaintiffs who failed in their attempts to win legal recognition in their first class-action trials by setting up a fund to be established through lawmaker-sponsored legislation.
However, uncertainty remains over whether the deal agreed under the Aso administration will be maintained beyond the lower house election scheduled for Aug. 30, analysts observed.
...