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A-bomb illness list expanded

TOKYO, June 22 (UPI) -- Liver dysfunction and hypothyroidism will be added to a list of diseases resulting from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japanese officials said.

The list is maintained by the government to certify those affected by radiation from the bombings to become eligible for the 137,000 yen or about $1,390 a month in medical allowances.

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The decision by a government panel of medical experts under the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare to add liver dysfunction and hypothyroidism stems from a recent court ruling favoring those seeking such a decision, Kyodo reported. The ruling was the latest in a series of court defeats for the government.

The government plans to compile the new list by the Aug. 6 and Aug. 9 anniversaries of the A-bomb attacks by the United States, as part of the settlement of suits filed jointly by ''hibakusha,'' or A-bomb survivors, Kyodo said.

Illnesses already on the list include cancer, leukemia, cataracts, hyperparathyroidism and heart infarction.

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