A Japanese court ordered Wednesday the state to pay damages to the bereaved relatives of victims originally from the Korean Peninsula who were exposed to 1945 U.S. atomic bombing in Hiroshima. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs argued that the Japanese government should compensate them for failing to provide healthcare allowances to atomic bomb survivors over an extended period after their return to South Korea. Under Japan's Atomic Bomb Survivors Support Law, atomic bomb survivors, known as hibakusha, are eligible for reimbursement of medical expenses and other fees. In 2007, the Supreme Court also finalized its decision that the ministry's instruction was illegal and that the government was liable for paying compensation to overseas atomic bomb survivors. Hidekazu Zaima, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, praised the ruling, telling reporters in Hiroshima, "The court strongly condemned the state's position that evades redressing overseas atomic bomb survivors."