Japan Press Weekly

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2012 April 11 - 17 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Fukushima residents launch joint action for nuclear damage compensation

Residents of Fukushima Prefecture have formed a group on April 10 to request the central government and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to compensate for damages caused by the Fukushima nuclear accident.

They reside in Fukushima City, Date City, and the Date district, the northern part of Fukushima Prefecture. These areas are contaminated with relevantly high-levels of radiation in spite of being located outside the evacuation zone around the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The initial meeting of the group gathered 230 people. Ohashi Yoshihiro, representing initiators of the local action said, “We hope to develop the movement to make TEPCO accept its responsibility for the accident and remove people’s anxieties.”

The group demands that the government and TEPCO admit that the nuclear accident was a man-made disaster and they make sufficient reparation for the accident, reconstruct victims’ livelihoods, restore the environment and the regional community, and take measures to address possible health problems.

The group is planning to hold study meetings, negotiate with TEPCO, the national and the local governments, and file cases against them.