Prime minister won't listen to Hibakusha this year

Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro on July 18 announced that he will not attend this year's government-Hibakusha meetings and leave his part to the Health, Labor, Welfare minister. A prime minister's absence is extremely rare.

These annual meethings take place on August 6 and 9, the days of the A-bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for the government to listen to Hibakusha's voices.

Hiroshima Hibakusha would ask Koizumi for expanded care for Hibakusha outside of Japan. (end)