Sydney based Japanese national, Hajime Kitamura has been carefully following the lawsuit filed by 79 year old French-Vietnamese woman, Tran To Nga, over the use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam war.
He has been supporting the victims of Agent Orange for over 30 years now, long before the Vietnamese Association For Agent Orange Victims (VAVA) was formed in 2004.
"I am very disappointed" says Hajime, who although knew the challenges of this complicated lawsuit, had "hoped for justice to be done".
According to Agence France Presse, the French court did not have the jurisdiction to judge a case involving the wartime actions of the US government, rejecting the claims by Tran To Nga.
"Once again, we could not overcome this challenging lawsuit about the damage caused by Agent Orange"
He says, the court has made more apparent, the "global lack of compassion for victims of Agent Orange".
Hajime during his home visits to remote part of Vietnam. These children have a severe forms of Ichthyosis- genetic skin disorder Source: Yusuke Oba
Like Tran To Nga, Hajime is in his 70s and knows the strength and energy required to manoeuvre through this complicated issue, and applauds Tran To Nga for her bravery.
He feels that the "lack of support for Agent Orange victims needs to be addressed" and he wishes for these support to be not limited to the Vietnamese, but the Americans, Australians, Japanese and Koreans who were also affected - a system where all victims of war can be supported.
Co-author of the book "From enemies to partners, Vietnam, the U.S and Agent Orange" and former head of the Vietnamese delegation on the US-Vietnam Joint Committee on Agent Orange, Le Ke Son says that "the results of the court in France were as expected. The ball is passed to the US Government. The US chemical companies denied liability because they were ordered by the US government"
"If there is a testimony of cause-effect, typical, characteristic; If you rely on the US government's responsibility to order, the chemical companies lawsuit will always fail" he spoke to SBS Japanese.
"However, the harmful effects of dioxin are real and serious.US Government's responsibility and liability for the company's products is real. And the US government and the US chemical companies need to fulfill this responsibility and this ethical requirement. In fact, the US government is doing that(clean up effort by the US Government) . The chemical companies have not"
For 3 decades, Hajime has visited both homes and facilities of Agent Orange victims. It all began when he was stationed in Thailand for TV Asahai, a time when the effects of Agent Orange was becoming more apparent.
One of the scholarship recipient from 2013 Source: Yusuke Oba
According to "Agent Orange: The Vietnamese Victims of American Chemical Warfare Exposed", written by Hajime, 80 million litres of Agent Orange was sprayed over the dense jungle of Vietnam, in an attempt to take the North Vietnamese troops out of their hiding, and to deprive them of food. However, the Agent Orange sprayed by the US H34 helicopters contained 366 kilograms of dioxin, a poisonous substance that was accidentally created during the production process.
Those who were directly exposed to defoliants, ate and drank contaminated food/water, subsequently suffered from all kinds of cancers, diseases, disabilities and miscarriages. It was also passed unknowingly from mothers to their babies. The effects thought to be caused by Agent Orange, is now seen in third and fourth generations as well.
During the 30 years, he has spoken to over 500 victims and their families, carefully recoding their situation with pen and paper.
"By speaking to them in person, the pain the victims and their families are in, become more real, and they feel understood too"
The above photo is a second generation Agent Orange victim, who suffered a rare disease, Mucopolysaccharidosis. Her father Dan Van Minh was 19 when he joined the army, who recalls that the threat of dying from dehydration was more imminent than been shot. His army often drank from the rivers, creeks, and even the rain water that had collected on the large crater holes, oblivious to the contamination by Agent Orange. Mucopolysaccharidosis, a disease that progresses day by day, causes damage to various organs, and the life expectancy of most patients is said to be between 10 and 15 years old. These sisters also passed away at a young age.
From Hajime's blog "Love and Support Vietnam" dated 16th Dec 2017 (with permission) Source: Goro Nakamura
This is one of the many hundreds of stories Hajime has heard over the years.
His group "Love and Support Vietnam" have also engaged in various ways, from providing scholarships to holding "fun activities" with the children, like the the "Suikawari" -traditional Japanese game that involves smashing watermelon with a stick while blind folded .
A traditional Japanese game where a watermelon is smashed with a stick while blind folded. This has become an annual event at Friendship Village Source: Yusuke Oba
For Hajime, communicating in person, and interacting in person, is just as important as collecting and distributing funds.
Hajime has interviewed over 500 victims and their families during his 3 decades of work Source: Yusuke Oba
Hajime awaits for the international borders to reopen again, to make his annual visit to Vietnam. For now, he is left with online meetings with his members, to discuss how they can better support the victims and their families.
In 1996, Hajime was given the permission to enter the archives room. Here, he was overwhelmed by the horror of war. Source: Hajime Kitamura
