March 11, 2020

The Sapporo District Court on March 10 ordered the central government and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to pay compensation to people who voluntarily evacuated to Hokkaido from Fukushima in the wake of the 2011 nuclear meltdowns at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

However, the court recognized only 89 of the 253 plaintiffs as eligible and substantially reduced the amount of total compensation to about 53 million yen from the 4.24 billion yen initially sought.

The court condemned both the state and the plant operator for their lack of responsibility, ordering them to compensate the voluntary evacuees and acknowledging the "reasonableness and appropriateness" of voluntary evacuation.

On the other hand, the 53 million yen is not adequate to compensate for the sufferings of the plaintiffs, Akahata pointed out.

The plaintiffs held a press conference after the ruling and said, "We can at last take a step forward, but it is disappointing that the court doesn't comprehend the extent of damages."

Past related article:
> Matsuyama court: State and TEPCO neglect to take measures to protect Fukushima NPP from tsunami damage [March 27, 2019]