In 1957, he was recognized as a hibakusha (explosion-affected person) of the Nagasaki bombing, but it was not until March 24, 2009, that the government of Japan officially recognized his presence in Hiroshima three days earlier.
I 1957 blev han anerkendt som en hibakusha (eksplosionsramt person) efter bombningen af Nagasaki, men det var ikke før 24. marts 2009 at regeringen i Japan officielt anerkendte hans tilstedeværelse i Hiroshima tre dage tidligere.