Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2012 July 18 - 24 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Fukushima residents demand TEPCO compensation for nuclear accident

More than 1,700 people based in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 17 requested that Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) decommission its nuclear power plants in Fukushima and compensate for damages caused by the nuclear accident.

They are residents of Iwaki City and those who moved to the city from evacuation zones near the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Their 9 representatives visited TEPCO’s head office in Tokyo on the same day to submit a statement in which they demand that the electric company: recognize its legal responsibility over the nuclear accident and offer a sincere apology to the victims; cover the costs associated with the evacuation; pay 250,000 yen to each victim for the mental distress they experienced during the emergency situation right after the outbreak of the nuclear accident; and pay monthly compensation for mental distress until the decommissioning is completed (80,000 yen for children under 18 years old and pregnant women, 30,000 yen for adults).

Arguing that restoration of communities and healthcare for victims cannot be covered by monetary compensation, they demanded that TEPCO urge the government to take necessary measures to restore victims’ living conditions, health, and dignity.

They also met with the prime minister’s advisor, Honda Hiranao, at the Cabinet Office and submitted to him a similar statement.