Fight for Recognition: The Long Ordeal of “Black Rain” Survivors

A section of plaster wall bearing the traces of black rain. (Courtesy of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum)

Honke Minoru near his home in Yukichō in Hiroshima’s Saeki Ward. (Photo by Dōune Hiroko)

Rainfall map delineating the extent of the black rain after the bombing of Hiroshima, based on a survey conducted by the Hiroshima District Meteorological Observatory. (Ebayama Museum of Meteorology, Hiroshima)

Honke Minoru points to the area south of the Minochi River, whose residents were made eligible for hibakusha healthcare benefits in 1976. Those living on the right bank—including Honke’s residence—remained ineligible. (Photo by Dōune Hiroko)

“Black rain” exhibit at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

Takatō Seiji. (Photo by Nippon.com)