Mar 05 (Japan Today) - Japan's top court has ordered Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc to pay damages of 1.39 billion yen ($12 million) to about 3,600 people whose lives were seriously affected by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
The decision, turning down an appeal by the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, was unanimously made by four judges on the court's Second Petty Bench on Wednesday. It covered three class-action lawsuits.
Among 30 such class-action lawsuits filed across Japan by people who had to evacuate from their hometowns or whose lives were greatly impacted due to the disaster, it is the first time that the utility's liability for damages has been finalized.
The Supreme Court has yet to rule on the state's responsibility in the world's worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, which was triggered by a massive earthquake and ensuing tsunami in Japan's northeastern region on March 11, 2011. ...continue reading
Source: テレ東BIZ
