Japan Group Resolved to Seek Air Raid Damage Relief

Members of the Liaison Council of Air-Raid Victims of Japan made special efforts in 2025, which marked the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in the war, stating on Sunday (December 28), "This is our last chance."

Even though their wishes remain unfulfilled, they have renewed their determination, saying they "absolutely cannot give up."

In lawsuits on air raid damage, all petitions by victims seeking compensation from the government have been dismissed, based on the government's view that war damage is something the public must equally endure.

The council has therefore changed course, now aiming to achieve its goal through legislation by lawmakers. To the end, it has held discussions with a nonpartisan group of parliamentary members for over a decade.

In May this year, the nonpartisan group adopted a draft of relief legislation for the first time.

The draft calls for a government fact-finding survey into the damage and a lump-sum payment of 500,000 yen to disabled surviving victims per head.

An estimated 3,200 individuals would be eligible, meaning that the total cost would reach 1.6 billion yen.

This amount, however, is negligible compared with 60 trillion yen in pensions that have been paid to former military personnel, civilian employees and their bereaved families.

Council member Setsuko Kawai, 86, who lost her mother and two younger brothers in a massive Tokyo air raid in March 1945, said, "No one thinks it's enough, but we've lowered the hurdle to realise the passage of the legislation."

However, the legislation was not introduced at the ordinary session of the Diet, the country's parliament, in the first half of 2025, mainly because the ruling Liberal Democratic Party failed to establish an internal consensus on the issue.

In the LDP's leadership election in autumn, Sanae Takaichi, who won the race and became prime minister, responded to an open letter from the council, stating: "This is an issue that requires urgent measures. I'd like to have thorough discussions."

Her response raised hopes. But there was no action on the issue during the latest Diet session, which closed on December 17, after electing Takaichi as prime minister and passing a supplementary budget.

Another council member, Teruko Anno, 86, from Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, who lost her lower left leg in an air raid in Kagoshima Prefecture at age 6, was seen addressing a rally on the last day of the extraordinary Diet session.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

"We've been left for 80 years without any apology or relief," she said. "I hope it will be enacted also for the sake of children who have their future."

In Tokyo, the Setagaya ward government passed an ordinance on December 5 to pay 30,000 yen per person as a consolation payment. An increasing number of local governments, including the cities of Nagoya and Hamamatsu, have started offering similar relief.

LDP lawmaker Katsuei Hirasawa, who heads the nonpartisan group, said at the rally, "It's a problem that the central government should solve."

He underscored his eagerness to realise the enactment of the relief legislation. But it remains unclear how this can be attained.