Japan protests to BBC over treatment of ''double A-bomb

survivor''

London, Jan 21 (Kyodo) The Japanese Embassy in Londonlodged a written protest against the BBC and a TV productionagency, arguing that they insulted a deceased Japaneseman who survived both the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima andNagasaki during World War II, embassy and other sources said.

In a comedy quiz show broadcasted by the BBC in December,Tsutomu Yamaguchi, whose international profile has been raisedas a double hibakusha and who died at age 93 last January, wasintroduced as "The Unluckiest Man in the World," with theshow''s personalities and the audience laughing.

According to the embassy, it sent the BBC and theproduction agency aletter on Jan 7, saying it is inappropriateand "insensitive" to pick on Yamaguchi in that way, but it hasnot received any response as of yesterday, it said.

A producer of the show has already apologized to peoplewho sent protest e-mails, noting "we greatly regret it when wecause offence" and "it is apparent to me that I underestimatedthe potential sensitivity of this issue to Japanese viewers."

But the producer added the program has featured thetragic experiences of Americans and Europeans in a similarmanner.

Born in Nagasaki, Yamaguchi suffered the A-bombing inHiroshima on Aug 6, 1945, while on a business trip and anotherbombing in Nagasaki after returning home three days later.

(Kyodo)