nuclear-news

TEPCO ordered to pay for rumor-caused damages

A Japanese court has ordered Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, to compensate a golf course operator for damages caused by rumors after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in 2011.

This is the first ruling in Japan that recognizes rumor-caused damages related to a nuclear accident.

The golf course operator’s suit claimed that revenues from its course in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, dropped due to harmful rumors related to the nuclear accident.

TEPCO argued that there was no danger from radiation because the golf course is more than 100 kilometers from the nuclear plant.

In the ruling on Wednesday, Tokyo District Court Judge Tetsuro Nakayoshi said the public did not have sufficient knowledge about radiation around the time of the accident.

He noted that it was not unreasonable for ordinary people to worry about health risks.

The court determined that harmful rumors were responsible for 30 to 50 percent of the decline in revenue for more than 5 months following the accident.

The court ordered the utility to pay about 180,000 dollars in compensation.

TEPCO says the company will deal with the matter sincerely after studying the ruling.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20160721_01/

July 21, 2016 - Posted by dunrenard | Fukushima 2016 | Court Case, Fukushima Daiichi, Tepco, Tochigi Prefecture