比基尼環礁試爆氫彈: 首次追蹤調査福竜丸以外曾曝露于輻射的船員

A few weeks ago the Mainichi News on-line reported the following:

ビキニ水爆実験:船員被ばく追跡調査　福竜丸以外で初

毎日新聞　2015年01月05日　07時30分（最終更新　01月05日　09時21分）

　１９５４年に静岡県焼津市のマグロ漁船「第五福竜丸」が被ばくした太平洋ビキニ環礁での米国の水爆実験を巡り、厚生労働省が近く、当時周辺で操業していた他の船員について健康影響調査に乗り出すことが分かった。被災船は全国で少なくとも５００隻、被災者は１万人に上るとされるが、国はこれまで福竜丸以外の船員の追跡調査をしてこなかった。当時の放射線検査の記録が昨年見つかったことを受けたもので、ビキニ水爆実験での被害の位置づけが大きく変わる可能性が出てきた。

　水爆実験では５４年３月１４日に福竜丸が帰港した後、他の漁船やマグロからも放射線が検出された。同１８日に国は東京など５港を帰港先に指定。放射線が一定基準（距離１０センチで毎分１００カウント＝放射線測定器の計測値）を超えた漁獲物を廃棄処分し、船員についても毎分５００カウントを超えれば精密検査を行うとしたが、同年末で放射線検査は打ち切りに。翌５５年１月４日、米国側の法的責任を問わない「慰謝料」として２００万ドル（当時のレートで７億２０００万円）を日本側が受領することで「完全な解決」とする日米交換公文に署名、政治決着させた。

　５５年４月に閣議決定した慰謝料の配分先には福竜丸以外の船員１２３人の治療費や９９２隻が水揚げした汚染マグロなどの廃棄経費も含まれていた。しかし、国はその後、こうした船員らについて全くフォローをせず、８６年３月の衆院予算委分科会で今井勇厚相（当時）は当時の記録の存在を否定した上で「３０年以上前のことで調査も難しいし、対策を講ずることは考えにくい」と答弁していた。

　国の対応を転換させたのは、高知県で８０年代から船員の聞き取りを進めてきた市民団体「太平洋核被災支援センター」の活動。山下正寿事務局長は、被災時に厚生省がまとめ外務省を通じて米国側に提供した検査記録の一部を同省が２０１３年に開示したことを受け、基になった記録の開示を１４年７月に厚労省に求めた。

　同９月、厚労省は延べ５５６隻、実数４７３隻の船員の体表面などを検査した記録を開示した。厚労省幹部は「過去に薬害エイズもあり、『資料を隠していた』と指摘されることに厚労省は敏感だ」と話し、記録開示の延長線上で船員らの健康影響調査をせざるを得なくなったことを示唆する。

(試譯文)

About a tuna boat the " Daigo Fukuryū Maru" from Yaizu-city, Shizuoka prefecture that was exposed to the American hydrogen bomb experiment at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean in 1954, it was understood that recently the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare started an investigation on the influence on the health of other sailors who were operating in the vicinity. In this accident at least 500 ships were involved and victims could reach 10,000 people nationwide; up to now the country had not traced sailors besides those from the Daigo Fukuryū Maru. Noting that the records on radiation checking in those days were found last year, there was a possibility that the positioning of the damages due to this Bikini hydrogen bomb experiment could turn out to be greater.

      The hydrogen bomb experiment was held on March 14th 1954; after Daigo Fukuryū Maru returned to the port, radiation was also detected in other fishing boats and their tuna. On 18th Tokyo designated five harbors as the return destinations in the country. Fish catches beyond certain radiation standards (in a distance of 10 cm 100 counts per minute = measurement values for the radiation measuring instrument) were disposed. When a sailor exceeded 500 counts per minute, a close examination was made too; but such radiation checking was suspended by the end of the same year. The next year, in 1955 on January 4th Japan and U.S. signed an Exchange of Notes to make a "perfect solution": the Japanese side would receive 2 million dollars (by the rate in those days it was 720 million yen) as the "compensation" and would not to ask about the legal responsibility on the part of the USA so as to settle it politically.

    In April 1955 the Cabinet decided the parties to receive the alimony allocation. Besides Daigo Fukuryū Maru, also included as compensation distribution parties were the medical cost to 123 sailors, and the disposal cost of 992 polluted landed tuna. After that the country did not assist these sailors at all. In March 1986 in the budget committee subcommittee meeting of the House of Representatives, Minister of Welfare (at that time) Imai Isamu denied the existence of records on those days, and answered that "The investigation is also difficult on matters more than 30 years ago, and it is difficult to think of taking any measures".

    What made a change in the national response was the activity of a citizen group in Kochi prefecture which advanced sailor's voice since the 80's: the “Pacific Ocean nuclear disaster assistance center". Yamashita Shoju the secretary-general noted part of the checking records that was offered from the USA to the Ministry of Health and Welfare through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (which at the time of the disaster was related to the former Ministry) was made public by the same ministry in 2013. Based on this record, it asked the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for records disclosure on July 2014.

    In September of the same year, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare actually disclosed the records of 473 ships that had sailor's body surface etc. checked, out of a total of 556 ships. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare executive said that "There is also the HIV-tainted blood scandal in the past, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is sensitive to being accused of ‘hiding the data’", and suggested that on the extension of record disclosure, the Ministry could no longer be forced to do sailors' health influence investigation.

My understanding is that six months after the Hydrogen bomb test, the wireless communication operator of the Daigo Fukuryū Maru died of an acute radiation syndrome on September 23rd. He was being identified as the first hydrogen bomb victim.