Japan liable for Fukushima event

Tokyo, March 17: A court in Japan on Friday ruled that Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) and the government are liable for negligence in a case involving compensation for the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the first time the judiciary has ruled the state has liability, Japanese media reported.

The district court in Maebashi, north of Tokyo, ruled in favor of 137 evacuees seeking damages for the emotional distress of fleeing their homes as radiation spread from the meltdowns at Tepco’s Fukushima Daiichi plant after an earthquake and tsunami six years ago, the Mainichi newspaper and other media reported.

While courts have ruled in favor of plaintiffs and awarded damages arising from the disaster, it was the first time a court has recognised that the government was liable.

Tepco has long been criticised for ignoring the threat posed by natural disasters to the Fukushima plant and both the company and government were lambasted for their handling of the crisis.

Tepco said in a statement it would review the contents of the ruling before making a response.

In December, the government nearly doubled its projections for costs related to the disaster to $188 billion, increasing pressure on Tepco to step up reform.

Three reactors at the Fukushima plant had suffered meltdowns after a magnitude nine earthquake in March 2011 triggered a tsunami.

— Reuters

THE 137 evacuees said the meltdown and evacuation had ruined their livelihoods and caused disruption to their families’ lives