KOCHI—Supporters for former fishermen who were exposed to radiation from U.S. hydrogen bomb testing at Bikini Atoll nearly seven decades ago resorted to crowdfunding to meet mounting court costs.

They expressed hope that the campaign will spread public awareness of the aging former fishermen from Kochi Prefecture and bereaved family members of their colleagues, many of whom were denied state compensation in an earlier court battle.

The expenses to be borne by the plaintiffs snowballed after part of the trial procedures was transferred from the prefectural capital of Kochi to the Tokyo District Court.

“We want to solicit broad support for the trials from members of the public after they learn about the Bikini incident through our website,” said Keisuke Okamura, 71, deputy director of the Kochi-based Grass Roots House peace museum and executive chief of the crowdfunding project.

The supporters, who estimate that the trials will cost 10 million yen ($69,000), set a goal of raising at least 5 million yen by Nov. 30 through the Readyfor crowdfunding website.

Fourteen former tuna fishermen and bereaved family members filed a lawsuit seeking compensation from the government in 2020. Five others joined the suit this year.

They argued that they incurred losses when Japan and the United States reached a political settlement a year after the 1954 hydrogen bomb testing at Bikini Atoll, a coral reef in the Marshall Islands.

The plaintiffs said the political settlement, under which Washington agreed to pay 2 million dollars to Tokyo in consolation payment, deprived them of the right to seek compensation from the U.S. government.

The case is being heard at the Kochi District Court, and 12 lawyers mostly based in the prefecture represent the eight former fishermen and 11 bereaved family members.

Twelve of those plaintiffs are also calling on the Japan Health Insurance Association to apply provisions of the Mariners’ Insurance to cover the costs of medical treatment for cancer and other symptoms that emerged among the fishermen and make insurance payouts for bereaved family members.

This part of the trial was transferred to the Tokyo District Court last year at the behest of the Tokyo-based public health insurance association.

Twelve lawyers from Tokyo and Hiroshima Prefecture represent the four former fishermen and eight bereaved family members pro bono.

In an earlier lawsuit, 29 former fishermen and bereaved family members sought 42 million yen ($290,000) in compensation from the government. The plaintiffs argued that the government concealed the fact that they were exposed to radiation for decades.

The Takamatsu High Court decision, which was finalized in 2019, recognized that the plaintiffs had been exposed to radiation fallout from the U.S. hydrogen bomb testing.

The court ruled it was difficult to provide relief within the framework of the State Redress Law. It said, “One can only hope that further consideration will be given (to the need of redress) by legislative and administrative bodies.”

But neither the Diet nor the government has made any move to date to address the issue.

The Japanese-language website for the crowdfunding project says few fishermen exposed to radiation from the hydrogen bomb testing received reparations and that the health damage incurred by the fishermen only came to light through a follow-up study by high school students in Kochi Prefecture about 30 years after the fact.

Developments concerning the lawsuits, as well as video testimonies by former fishermen and a bereaved family member, can also be viewed on the website.

Okamura said books and other materials are being offered as optional gifts to help donors understand the Bikini incident, although some people said there was no need to give gifts in exchange for support for legal actions.

The gifts on offer include “The Bikini incident has yet to end,” a 150-page informational brochure; “No Nukes,” a 147-page collection of photos containing accounts of former fishermen and bereaved family members, complete with English translations; and a DVD of “The ocean of Bikini will not forget,” a 1990 movie narrated by actress Sayuri Yoshinaga.

The crowdfunding website is at (https://readyfor.jp/projects/Bikini1954).