2nd Trial Begins for Compensation of Fukushima Nuclear Accident in Japan: "Management at the Time Must Pay 200 Trillion Won"

Tokyo Electric Power Shareholders File Lawsuit Against Former Executives
Record High Compensation in First Trial in Japan... Awaiting Second Trial Outcome

The appeal trial of a lawsuit filed by 48 Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) shareholders demanding damages from five former executives, including the then-chairman, related to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident caused by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, began on the 24th.

Previously, the court ruled in the first trial to award the highest compensation amount in Japanese civil litigation history, and with the ocean discharge of contaminated water from the nuclear plant entering its final stages, there is keen interest both inside and outside Japan regarding what conclusion the appellate court will reach.

On the 24th, a hearing for the Tokyo Electric Power Company shareholder lawsuit was held at the Tokyo High Court. (Photo by テレ東BIZ)

On the 25th, NHK reported on the first hearing of the appeal trial held the previous day at the Tokyo High Court. On that day, the former management side emphasized, "It was impossible to predict that a massive tsunami would strike," and "It was impossible to avoid the accident." They demanded the cancellation of the first trial’s ruling.

In the first trial, the plaintiffs, TEPCO shareholders, demanded that the five former executives pay 22 trillion yen (19.9 trillion won). These plaintiffs had advocated for nuclear phase-out even before the Fukushima nuclear accident and had participated in the "TEPCO Shareholders Movement," which expresses opinions by purchasing shares of nuclear power companies in the 1990s and attending shareholder meetings.

Accordingly, in July last year, the Tokyo District Court recognized the liability for damages of four of the five, including the former chairman, president, and vice president, stating, "If flood countermeasures had been taken, it was sufficiently possible to avoid a serious situation." At that time, the court ordered TEPCO to pay 13.321 trillion yen (120.5483 trillion won), the highest amount in Japanese civil litigation history.

However, as both TEPCO and the shareholders appealed the ruling, the controversy reignited. The TEPCO shareholders reiterated, "The management at the time assumed that a massive tsunami would not come," and "They are responsible for delaying countermeasures for a long time."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The shareholders held a press conference that day and raised their voices against TEPCO’s inadequate response. Masafumi Asada, who was forced to relocate from Fukushima Prefecture due to the nuclear accident, appealed, "The nuclear accident took away our peaceful life," and "I wanted to let TEPCO know that they lack awareness of valuing human life."

According to the legal team, the Tokyo High Court has scheduled the trial proceedings until February next year. A plaintiff’s attorney told NHK, "The first trial was a historic ruling that condemned the responsibility of the former management," and added, "We will defend the first trial’s judgment in the appeal trial as well."

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