nuclear-news

Lawsuit by evacuees from nuclear power plant accident: Supreme Court to rule on June 17 for the first time on the government’s responsibility

May 19, 2022
The Supreme Court has decided to hand down its verdict on four class action lawsuits that have been appealed, demanding compensation from the government and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) by people who evacuated to various locations due to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on June 17. The Supreme Court is expected to issue a unified judgment on the government’s responsibility for the nuclear accident for the first time.

The ruling will be handed down in four of the class action lawsuits filed against the government and TEPCO by people who evacuated to various locations after the nuclear power plant accident, including Fukushima, Gunma, Chiba, and Ehime.

In the four lawsuits, the two courts were divided on the responsibility of the government, and the Supreme Court was hearing the cases.

In arguments held last month and this month, the residents said, “The government should have instructed tsunami countermeasures based on the government’s ‘long-term assessment’ of earthquakes, but neglected to do so. The accident could have been prevented if they had been given measures against flooding.

In response, the government denied responsibility, saying that the “long-term assessment” was unreliable and that the actual tsunami was completely different from the one estimated based on the assessment, and that the accident could not have been prevented even if tsunami countermeasures were ordered.

In the four lawsuits, TEPCO’s responsibility and the amount of compensation have already been determined.

The amount of compensation awarded in each of the four lawsuits exceeds the government’s standard for compensation for nuclear accidents, including damages for changes in the basis of daily life and loss of “hometowns.

It will be interesting to see what kind of unified judgment the Supreme Court will render on the responsibility of the government in the ruling to be handed down on the 17th of next month.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20220519/k10013634001000.html?fbclid=IwAR1jvMLiIaufwrDbmhaQHR_KjCNj7RKHSXsamJslG9ocGVuM-8plLMH96yw

Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

May 29, 2022 - Posted by dunrenard | Fuk 2022 | Class-action lawsuits, Fukushima Evacuees, Supreme court