The World Nuclear Victims Forum took place on the 5th and the 6th of October 2025 in Hiroshima.
https://mp-nuclear-free.com/Nuclear/2025_WNVF_01.html
The co-initiators of the Forum:
Hiroshima Alliance for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (HANWA)
Manhattan Project for a Nuclear-Free World
And the following organizations have also promoted together:
日本原水爆被害者団体協議会 (Nihon Hidankyo)
原水爆禁止日本国民会議 (GENSUIKIN)
原水爆禁止日本協議会 (Gensuikyo)
In 2025, Hiroshima and Nagasaki mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings by the United States. The nuclear age began when the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and human beings gained the power to wipe humanity from the earth. The atomic bombings instantly slaughtered countless innocent people, bringing unprecedented inhuman misery to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those who survived the horrors of this hell are still suffering from the effects of radiation. Reparation for victims of indiscriminate genocide as a result of state-provoked wars is yet to be fulfilled.
For more than 80 years, the nuclear industry and countries that have promoted the use of the nuclear cycle have trivialized or concealed the health effects of radiation and have created nuclear victims all over the world, regardless of whether it is used for military purposes or “peaceful” uses. Much of the nuclear impacts have been inflicted on Indigenous and colonized peoples. Even after the devastating nuclear disasters in Chernobyl and Fukushima, these countries and the nuclear industry are trying to further expand their negative impact by parading nuclear energy as a climate solution.
We would like to create a place of international solidarity in Hiroshima for nuclear victims and their allies, aiming for the elimination of the nuclear cycle and a world in which no more hibakusha (nuclear victims) are created.Let’s deliver our messages from Hiroshima to the world!
Nuclear and humanity cannot coexist!
Establishment of human rights and support for nuclear victims!
Let’s gather in Hiroshima with nuclear victims around the world and forge bonds of solidarity!
Sayonara Nukes Berlin agrees to the Declaration and has decided to publish this declaration also in a German translation. The English version is made by the Manhattan Project for a Nuclear-Free World.
Declaration on the Rights of World Nuclear Victims 2025
- Purpose of the Declaration
1) The Declaration of the Rights of World Nuclear Victims 2025 is a human rights declaration that aims to establish the rights and reparations of nuclear victims.
2) The Declaration demands accountability for nuclear actors, establishing rights and reparations for nuclear victims, and provides guidelines for the movement for the elimination of nuclear harm.
3) To establish rights and reparations for nuclear victims, the Declaration provides concrete policy proposals across multiple aspects and will advocate them to engage with the international community, governments, and parliaments.
4) The Declaration is prepared and confirmed in collaboration with nuclear victims and their allies to reflect the voices of nuclear victims in diverse nuclear-affected communities which are impacted by nuclear weapons, nuclear power plants, uranium activities, radioactive waste, and the entire nuclear fuel chain and related oppression.
- Definition of Nuclear Victims
Nuclear victims are:
All victims of radiation exposure and radioactive contamination, including victims of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki; victims of nuclear testing; victims of human experiments using nuclear materials; not distinguishing between victims of military and civilian nuclear use, those impacted by uranium mining, milling and enrichment activities and those impacted by radioactive contamination from nuclear labor and environmental contamination of nuclear weapons-related activities and entire processes of nuclear energy and nuclear fuel such as nuclear development, use and waste; victims of nuclear power plant disasters; and victims of depleted uranium weapons that are produced from radioactive waste. - Basic Rights
Until we end the nuclear age, any person anywhere could at any time become a nuclear victim (hibakusha), and we confirm that “nuclear and humanity cannot coexist.”
Every person has the right to demand the following rights to prevent ongoing and future nuclear harm:
1 Not to be exposed to ionizing radiation other than that which occurs in nature or is for medical purposes under informed agreement.
2 Prohibition of coerced labor involving potential exposure to ionizing radiation, and when labor involving such potential exposure cannot be avoided, such exposure be minimized.
3 Minimization of medical exposure to ionizing radiation.
4 Accurate information, instead of that which is intentionally falsified, regarding the dangers of ionizing radiation exposure through school and community education be provided. This information includes the following: the fact that no level of radiation exposure is without health
risk and that children and fetuses are especially sensitive to radiation exposure relative to adults.
Furthermore, in terms of reproductive health, special consideration should be given to the effects of radiation exposure on maternal people who currently or in the future play an important role in pregnancy, childbirth, and neonatal care. Therefore, the standards currently adopted by the nuclear industry for the health effects of radiation exposure on the human body, based solely on the “adult male model,” are decisively inaccurate in that they do not consider the health effects
on children and women.
5 Not only in the event of an accident, but also in normal times, the environmental risk assessment of nuclear facilities must be transparently disclosed along with information on radiation protection measures and treatment methods.
6 To participate in the decision-making processes of relevant policies:
The participation of stakeholders and rights holders in the decision-making processes should be accessible, inclusive, non-discriminatory and transparent in the event of implementing relevant national plans and policies.
Informed consent (informed agreement with stakeholders and rights holders) must provide stakeholders with the knowledge and tools necessary to understand the nature and extent of the risks involved in relevant national and local policies, as well as opportunities for notification and public comment.
Agreements on policy decisions require monitoring and advocacy to ensure policy and the practice of nuclear justice, and that such consent should not be coerced.
Nuclear justice includes the disclosure of information on nuclear harm,
recognition as a nuclear victim, apology by the nuclear actors, pursuit of
accountability for the perpetrator, victim assistance and reparation for nuclear victims, environmental restoration of contaminated areas, prevention of recurrence, and nuclear abolition.
7 Recognize the legitimacy of the lived experiences and testimonies of nuclear-impacted individuals and affected communities and incorporate their findings into the public literature in addition to radiation and victim assistance policies.
8 Formulate relevant policies based on the precautionary principle and a humanitarian perspective.
9 Object to nuclear use, not distinguishing between military and civilian use. Object to the creation of additional high-level radioactive waste. Object to the construction, operation or restarting of nuclear facilities.
10 Prevent further nuclear harm to future generations.
- To ensure the health and livelihood of nuclear victims
a. The right to medical care
Regardless of whether the victims currently have health issues or not, if there are the fact of exposure (regardless of the dose of radiation exposure) and the possibility of health risks from radiation exposure, victims have the right to protect their health and receive medical care as a nuclear victim.
This is a standard based on p. 151 of the ruling by the Hiroshima High Court on July 14, 2021 of the Black Rain Lawsuit as an interpretation of Article 1, Item 3 of the Hibakusha Assistance Law (that recognized black rain victims as atomic bomb survivors), that decided that “it is sufficient to prove that the exposure was under a specific form of exposure and that the mode of exposure could not be ruled out that atomic bomb radiation caused health hazards.”
Ensure that victims are fully informed and free to give consent before receiving medical care.
If the research study is conducted during treatment, the code of ethics and research standards must be respected to protect those who are under such study.
b. Right to victim assistance
c. Right to life and health
d. Ensure the right to participate in the relevant policy decision-making processes.
e. The right to access to effective judicial processes or other appropriate assistance at both the national and international levels in the event of violations of the rights of nuclear victims.
- Rights of Indigenous Peoples
a. To support the fight to eliminate discrimination, oppression, and colonialism against Indigenous Peoples, and based on the perspective that respect for the right to life and the right to self-determination are inalienable, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples presents the minimum standard in formulating the rights of nuclear-
impacted Indigenous Peoples. - Rights of nuclear workers
a. Right to receive workers’ compensation, radiation protection and health management, and information on risks associated with radiation exposure.
This includes the right to receive workers’ compensation for damage that has already occurred, management of daily radiation exposure and radiation protection measures and health management to minimize the exposure dose, education and training on radiation protection, and radiation exposure risk.
b. Right to radiation dose measurements and monitoring while employed and receive routine health checkups.
Be mindful of special circumstances where nuclear workers are regularly
employed while their radiation doses are measured and controlled. Nuclear workers should be provided with relevant information about the daily radiation doses and knowledge of the consequences and health effects of radiation exposure. In order to investigate the effects on health, workers have access to routine health checkups.
c. Right to receive radiation dose management and long-term health management.
Be mindful of the necessity of health management associated with
decommissioning, nuclear waste management, and other disposal-related activities such as “decontamination” and transportation, and that impacts on workers from exposure can be long-term. Nuclear workers have the right to health management, and access to medical care should last for a lifetime, even after leaving their jobs. They have the right to possess a certificate issued by a public authority certifying such rights.
d. Right to receive information on risks associated with tasks involving hazardous radiation exposure and the right to refuse certain nuclear tasks.
Nuclear workers have the right to be given sufficient information and knowledge in advance about the risks of work involving hazardous radiation exposure. Risks such as mortality and disability rates must be disclosed in advance if workers receive the “permissible” radiation doses. Whether or not to engage in such tasks must be freely chosen by workers on a case-by-case basis.
e. Right to refuse risky radiation-exposing work and the right not to be subjected to discrimination of any kind.
In the event of refusing to work in a radiation-exposed environment or reaching the radiation dose limit, guarantee work at an alternative workplace based on the request of the person concerned. Even if a worker refuses to work, they should not suffer a disadvantage under the labor contract. Regardless of their employment status, whether they are military or civilian, prime contractor or subcontractor, they have the right not to be discriminated against. In nuclear power plant labor, a
structure that imposes radiation exposure, such as a multi-layered subcontracting structure, is not allowed, and such a structure must be abolished. Until such a structure is abolished, the prime contractor must sincerely work to compensate for the right of low-end workers.
f. Ensure the right to participate in decision-making processes of relevant policies.
g. Ensure that workers are not subject to penalties such as repression, discrimination, dismissal, or retaliation for claiming their rights.
h. Operators of nuclear facilities are required to accurately record and store relevant data in the event of accidents that release radioactivity.
i. Operators of nuclear facilities are required to clearly identify the person responsible for the record-keeping and management of radiation exposure data and disclose such data at any time at the request of nuclear victims who were exposed to radiation.
j. An operator who employed a worker in violation of the above clause shall not be exempted from liability for civil damages or administrative and criminal penalties.
- Rights of residents (Radiation exposure to the general public. Include residents near uranium-related facilities and nuclear facilities, downwinders of nuclear tests, downwinders and those who reside near nuclear power plants or nuclear facilities in cases of grave disasters, etc.)
All peoples exposed to ionizing radiation have the following rights:
a. Regardless of the dose of exposure, if a person receives additional exposure without their consent, except for the medical exposure described below, they should be recognized as a nuclear victim (hibakusha). In many cases, it is difficult to estimate the exact amount of radiation exposure dose of an individual, so if there is circumstantial evidence that the person was in a nuclear-impacted area, entered such an area, or received radioactive fallout, the person should be recognized as a nuclear victim.
b. Nuclear victims (hibakusha) have a right to information on the radiation dose they have been exposed to.
c. Nuclear victims (hibakusha) have a right to accurate information and knowledge related to the effects of their exposure on their physical, genetic, and psychological health.
d. Right to request the disclosure of relevant information. Regarding information on radiation safety, since it affects the life and body of peoples and future generations and such information impacts on the exercise of the right to life, the interests of the state, the military, and the nuclear industry must not take precedence over this, and everyone should be able to request the disclosure of information.
e. Right to information on risks. The mortality and disability risks, in the event that the general public receives the permissible radiation dose, must be disclosed in advance.
f. Right to seek advice from independent scientists and experts who have knowledge and experience in assessing the human health and environmental impacts of radiation exposure.
g. Right to seek risk-reduction and radiation protection measures to minimize future radiation exposure.
h. Right to receive routine health checkups and the best medical care at no cost to them for all diseases that may be caused by radiation exposure. Diseases are not limited to malignant diseases such as cancer and leukemia but also non-cancer diseases.
i. Nuclear victims (hibakusha) have the right to receive the best possible preventive care to overcome illnesses that may be caused by their radiation exposure.
j. Perpetrators have the burden of proof to show the lack of causation between illnesses and radiation exposure. Perpetrators should compensate if they cannot prove that the victims’ illnesses are not related to radiation exposure.
k. Based on the precautionary principle, recognize that any low-dose exposure carries the risk of late onset harm according to the dose, and a legal principle shall be established that a causal relationship is presumed between radiation exposure and the health impacts of the victims.
l. In the case of late onset or genetic disorders due to radiation exposure, the passage of time does not affect the right to seek compensation. The perpetrators must not claim the statute of limitations.
m. In the case of nuclear accidents at nuclear facilities (including nuclear reactor sites and uranium-related facilities) that release a large amount of radioactivity into the environment, states must recognize:
- Right to preventative and protective measures to protect from exposure to toxic pollution, including ionizing radiation, the right to evacuate for evacuees and those who relocate, assistance to compensate for any loss due to environmental contamination, assistance to rebuild livelihoods, and the right to receive compensation for the damage or collapse of entire communities,
- livelihoods and culture.
- The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State. Special consideration is needed for children, unborn babies, and pregnant people. No actors may prevent a relative from freely taking the fully informed risk of radiation exposure in order to rescue relatives.
- Right to receive treatment and radiation recovery measures for residents of contaminated areas and those who choose to return to contaminated areas.
This includes a guarantee to provide food, drinking water, health and medical care, housing, education and information, and recuperation opportunities.
n. Strengthen compensation laws of impacted states to meet the needs and interests of members of affected communities.
o. Right to evacuate and relocate from radiation-contaminated areas, and the right to choose to return or settle elsewhere with a sense of safety and dignity.
p. Rights under the UN Charter and core international instruments and related regional, national, or local instruments should be guaranteed when persons or peoples, including stateless or refugee peoples, are displaced by nuclear harm.
- In regard to internally displaced persons who evacuated from radiation-
impacted areas, there should be a right to receive assistance and reparation equally regardless of whether they are ordered to evacuate by the state or evacuate voluntarily. It is recommended that this be implemented in national laws, local ordinances, and administrative rules. - Displaced persons should be guaranteed the right to participate in decision-making processes of plans based on relevant policies regarding return, resettlement to another land, and family and community reintegration.
8. Exposure to ionizing radiation in medicine
a. All peoples have the right to demand minimization of medical exposure to ionizing radiation.
b. Patients have the right to make their own decisions after receiving a full explanation on the health risks of radiation exposure and the benefits to patients in protecting their lives and health. (Informed consent)
c. It is necessary to provide continuing education (re-training) to medical
institutions as well as medical and health professionals regarding
independent and up-to-date research and information on the health risks of radiation exposure, including risks associated with low dose radiation exposure, in order to prevent exposure harms of patients as well as medical and health professionals.
d. Do not prioritize the economic interests of the health care industry and private medical institutions.