Japan's top court orders damages for Fukushima victims in landmark decision -NHK (updated)
04/03/2022 08:34
(Adds details, paragraphs 3-7)
TOKYO, March 4 (Reuters) - Japan's Supreme Court upheld an
order for utility Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) 9501.T to pay
damages of 1.4 billion yen ($12 million) to about 3,700 people
whose lives were devastated by the Fukushima nuclear disaster,
the first decision of its kind.
Public broadcaster NHK said the average payout of about
380,000 yen ($3,290) for each plaintiff covered three
class-action lawsuits, among more than 30 against the utility,
which are the first to be finalised.
A massive tsunami unleashed by an earthquake of magnitude
9.0 off Japan's northeastern coast, struck Tepco's Fukushima
Daiichi power plant in March 2011, to cause the worst nuclear
disaster since Chernobyl.
About 470,000 people were forced to evacuate in the first
few days, and tens of thousands have not yet been able to
return.
Friday's decision came as the court rejected an appeal by
Tepco and ruled it negligent in taking preventive measures
against a tsunami of that size, the broadcaster said.
The court withheld a verdict on the role of the government,
which is also a defendant in the lawsuits, and will hold a
hearing next month to rule on its culpability, NHK added.
Lower courts have split over the extent of the government's
responsibility in foreseeing the disaster and ordering steps by
Tepco to prevent it.
(Reporting by Sakura Murakami; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and
Clarence Fernandez)
((john.stonestreet@thomsonreuters.com;))