Health ministry ends hibakusha survey done every 10 years

Asahi Shimbun

3 days ago

A report of the survey on atomic bomb survivors conducted in fiscal 2015 (Akiyoshi Abe)
Starting this year, the government will no longer conduct a survey done every 10 years since 1965 to assess the living conditions and health status of hibakusha atomic bomb survivors.
The announcement by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare comes ahead of observances in August to mark the 80th anniversary of the bombings.
Officials said the decision to end the program was made to lessen the burden on aging survivors and because the data can be collected through other means.
The survey, carried out six times in total, formed the basis of support for atomic bomb survivors. It targeted those who hold Atomic Bomb Survivor's Certificates by asking about their income, health and caregiving needs.
Since 1995, it included a free-response section where survivors could write about their experiences of having been exposed to either the Hiroshima or Nagasaki atomic bombings. More than 100,000 personal accounts have been submitted to date.
According to the ministry, the decision to end the survey was made last November and explained to related survivor organizations to gain their understanding and agreement, officials said.
'The data necessary for atomic bomb survivor support policies, which had been collected through the survey, is now fully managed and reported annually by each local government,' health minister Takamaro Fukuoka said at a news conference following a Cabinet meeting on July 29.
He added that the data would continue to be publicly disclosed.
Starting this fiscal year, the ministry will also annually solicit written accounts from all atomic bomb survivors.
As of the end of March 2025, there are 99,130 survivors nationwide, with an average age of 86.13.