July 9, 2026

The Japanese Communist Party, along with seven other opposition parties and one independent lawmaker, on July 8 jointly submitted a bill to the House of Councillors. The bill proposes providing lump-sum payments to civilian victims of U.S. aerial bombings and of the Battle of Okinawa during the Asia-Pacific War.

A cross-party parliamentary league drafted the “air-raid victims relief bill”. The bill’s preamble criticizes the government for failing to provide compensation to civilian war victims by upholding the logic that “the people should endure the hardships of war equally.”

If enacted, the bill will provide 500,000 yen to each surviving civilian who was injured or disabled as a result of U.S. air-raids or the Battle of Okinawa. Approximately 3,000 people, including foreign nationals, will be eligible for the payment. It also calls for conducting fact-finding surveys on air-raid damage, preserving victims’ testimonies, and holding memorial services for the deceased.

At a press conference after submitting the bill, JCP Secretariat Head Koike Akira stated, “This bill will serve as a catalyst to overcome the logic that ‘the people should evenly bear war damage.’ We in the opposition will unite and do our utmost to ensure the bill’s passage.”

Kawai Setsuko, an 87-year-old survivor of the Great Tokyo Air Raid, said, “I cannot accept the notion that there were no civilian casualties in the war. I hope the bill becomes law.” Zukeyama Shigeru, 83, the chief counsel for survivors of the Battle of Okinawa, welcomed the bill as it also covers people with war-related emotional disorders as well as victims of the ground battle in Okinawa.

The other seven parties that co-sponsored the bill are: the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People, the “Komeito”, the “Reiwa Shinsengumi”, the Social Democratic Party, the Okinawa Whirdwind, the “Team Mirai”.

Past related article:
> Rally seeking to establish air-raid victims relief law takes place [June 22, 2024]