Bill Eyed in Japan on Aid to Civilian Victims of WWII

Tokyo, June 23 (Jiji Press)–Japanese lawmakers, mainly those from the opposition side, plan to submit a bill on aid to surviving civilian victims of the Pacific War, part of World War II, to the ongoing session of the Diet, or parliament, in early July. The move was decided Monday by members of a suprapartisan group of lawmakers working to support people who fell prey to airstrikes and other damage during the war. It will be the first time in 38 years for such a bill to be submitted to the Diet. The group is led by Katsuei Hirasawa, a member of the House of Representatives, the lower parliamentary chamber, from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The bill will call for a one-time payment of 500,000 yen each to those who became disabled due to airstrikes during the Pacific War and because of the Battle of Okinawa, part of the war in Okinawa, southern Japan, between the now-defunct Japanese military and the Allied powers. It will also stipulate that a survey should be conducted on details of damage. The legislation is slated to be submitted to the House of Councillors, the upper Diet chamber. Lawmakers from the ruling coalition are expected to jointly sponsor the planned bill if intraparty coordination is done by the end of this month. Opposition parties, including the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, decided on the move in view of the aging of victims, at a time when little progress has been made in related procedures within the ruling camp. The envisioned support measure was worked out through discussions between the lawmakers’ group and the Liaison Council of Air-Raid Victims of Japan, which was established in 2010. About 3,200 people are expected to be eligible for the aid, with the total amount of one-time payments seen reaching around 1.6 billion yen. The government has paid a total of about 60 trillion yen, including pensions, to former Japanese troops and other military workers. On the other hand, it has refused to pay compensation to civilian victims, based on its view that people must endure war damage equally. Setsuko Kawai, 87, who lost her loved ones, including her mother, in the March 10, 1945, massive U.S. airstrike on Tokyo, has sought the establishment of a relief law through her activities at the liaison council. “I think this Diet session is crucial,” Kawai said. “I hope (the legislation) will be passed, but I want discussions to be held first.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]