Japanese Court Rules Government Must Compensate Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Victims

Over 3,600 Local Residents File Lawsuit Against Government and Tokyo Electric Power Company

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] An appellate court ruling has ordered the government and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to compensate residents affected by the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

According to Kyodo News and other foreign media on the 30th, this is the first appellate court compensation order recognizing government responsibility among the collective lawsuits related to the Fukushima nuclear accident ongoing throughout Japan.

More than 3,600 Fukushima residents demanded compensation from the government and TEPCO, stating that "the Fukushima nuclear accident damaged our living environment and caused mental suffering."

The Fukushima District Court, the trial court of first instance, ruled in 2017 that "since it was possible to predict the earthquake and tsunami, if the government had ordered TEPCO to take countermeasures, the nuclear accident could have been prevented," and ordered compensation of 500 million yen (approximately 5.5 billion KRW) to the affected residents.

The Sendai High Court, which handled the appeal, recognized the compensation responsibility of both the government and TEPCO, consistent with the first trial court's decision.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.