Number of Hibakusha Drops Below 100,000

   Tokyo, July 1 (Jiji Press)--The number of hibakusha survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki almost 80 years ago has fallen below 100,000 for the first time, Japanese welfare ministry data showed Tuesday.
   According to the ministry, the number of hibakusha with victim certificates stood at 99,130 as of the end of March, down by 7,695 from a year before. Their age averaged 86.13, up from 85.58.
   The latest total included 35,730 in the western city of Hiroshima and 17,154 in the southwestern city of Nagasaki. Hiroshima was devastated by a U.S. atomic bomb on Aug. 6, 1945, in the closing days of World War II. Nagasaki suffered the same fate three days later.
   By prefecture, Tokyo had 3,307 hibakusha as of March 31 this year, and Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, 3,957.
   Since the issuance of the victim certificate started in 1957, the ministry has been announcing the number of living hibakusha as of the end of March every year.

(2025/07/01-17:27)