Many of the children to survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are worried about how the nuclear attacks may have affected their own health, according to a recent survey.

On top of that, the government’s medical assistance program for hibakusha does not cover them.

About 60 percent of the second-generation victims have "anxiety or trouble as second-generation hibakusha," according to a survey by Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations) released on Nov. 22. The findings also show that nearly 80 percent of them cited their health and impact of radiation as sources of their anxiety or trouble.

“We succeeded in revealing the kind of personal challenges second-generation hibakusha are facing, while the state has yet to look into the matter,” said Yoshihiro Yagi, an assistant professor of sociology at Showa Women's University.

Yagi compiled the data from Nihon Hidankyo’s first large-scale survey targeting second-generation hibakusha, carried out between 2016 and 2017 to examine the circumstances of hibakusha’s descendants.

The data revealed that the children of the victims also have less appetite for activities that raise public awareness about their problems.

Analyzing the responses from 3,417 people took a significant amount of time amid the COVID-19 pandemic, so the results were only recently made public.

The results show that 60 percent of the 3,417 respondents have anxiety or trouble as second-generation hibakusha.

The study asked them what kind of concerns or problems they have, with multiple answers allowed. It found 78.6 percent cited “my health and impact of radiation” as their main sources of anxiety, followed by 56 percent worried about “issues involving my parents’ health and nursing care” and 41.8 percent apprehensive over “the effects of radiation on my children.”

According to data from the Japanese Liaison Council of Second-Generation Atomic Bomb Survivors, there are an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 second-generation hibakusha nationwide.

The central government does not count how many there are, leaving the exact number unclear. The conditions of their lives are largely shrouded in a fog of mystery as well.

Individuals directly exposed to radioactive rays from the bombings are given hibakusha certificates to receive medical treatment free of charge under the atomic bomb survivors’ relief law.

Because the government does not admit that the nuclear attacks have caused genetic damage to second-generation hibakusha, the law does not apply to the children of victims.

Second-generation victims in Hiroshima and Nagasaki have filed lawsuits, criticizing the government for “not having taken support measures for second-generation hibakusha, even though it cannot be denied that radiation has had an impact on our genetics.”

The cases are currently before the courts.

Asked about the free annual health checkup provided by the government for children of hibakusha, which does not include cancer screenings, 51.3 percent of respondents said they have not taken advantage of it. Those who simply “did not know” about the program accounted for 39.6 percent.

Respondents could choose more than one action they expect to be taken by the central and local governments. While 48.7 percent assigned special importance to “medical assistance,” 48.3 percent and 41.9 percent selected “issuing hibakusha certificates” and “cancer screening” as their desired policies.

They also expressed a cautious stance toward participating in social movements.

As many as 55.5 percent said “no” to such activities, far exceeding the 32.4 percent who are positive about taking part in one or more public drives. Those “not interested” in joining regional second-generation hibakusha groups amounted to 37.4 percent.

Yagi said this could reflect the opinions of only a fraction of second-generation hibakusha, given it is believed that many hesitate to come forward out of fear of discrimination and prejudice.

The questionnaire was delivered to 17,567 individuals for the study, but only a paltry 19.5 percent responded.

HEALTH CHECK ‘NOT ENOUGH TO DISPEL ANXIETY’

Emiko Kadokawa, 74, a second-generation hibakusha who lives in Yokohama and worked on the study analysis, said looking through the answers from people suffering from the same problem she does made her realize she is not alone.

“I had thought my concerns about my health were a personal matter of my own, but the survey showed me that we are all plagued by the same issue,” Kadokawa said during a news conference on Nov. 22.

According to Kadokawa, her father, a police officer, was exposed to radiation when he visited Hiroshima immediately after the atomic bomb detonated over the city. Her parents never spoke much about the incident. But Kadokawa remembers they were always worried about what possible effects the radiation could have on her.

Kadokawa said she feels torn between a desire to know whether radiation exerts any negative influence on her health and a notion that the fact should not be exposed.

If health damage is confirmed, more would be done to help descendants of hibakusha, she reasoned. But she also worried that may also lead to even more discrimination and prejudice against second- and third-generation victims.

Kadokawa expressed her rage over “the state leaving people suffering from radiation-derived problems with nothing.”

“The annual health checkup is not enough to dispel (our) anxiety,” she said during the news conference.

Nihon Hidankyo is planning to use the research findings to craft specific demands to the government. Kadokawa said she believes the government will have to review and change its stance after seeing the survey results.