Japan Press Weekly

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2013 June 5 - 11 [NUCLEAR CRISIS]

Fukushima farmer’s bereaved family obtains damages from TEPCO

A bereaved family of a farmer who killed himself soon after the 2011 nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant reached a settlement on June 5 with the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). The farmer had been emotionally devastated by the radioactive contamination caused by the disaster.

This is the first time that the power company acknowledged a causal relation between the accident and a suicide, admitted its legal responsibility, and pledged to pay damages to a surviving family.

Tarukawa Hisashi had run a cabbage farm in Fukushima’s Sukagawa City, located about 60 kilometers west of the crippled Fukushima plant. On March 24, 2011, the day after the government issued an order to ban the sale of certain vegetables from Fukushima Prefecture, he hanged himself at his home. He was 64 years old.

Tarukawa’s family members filed a complaint with the Alternative Dispute Resolution demanding compensation from the utility.

Tarukawa Kazuya, Hisashi’s second son, said at a news conference with tears in his eyes, “I want company officials to offer incense sticks at my family altar and apologize to the spirit of my father.” He added, “I cannot understand the government’s move to reactivate offline nuclear reactors and export nuclear power plants abroad. All nuclear plants in the country should be decommissioned immediately.”

Managi Izutaro, the complainants’ lawyer, said, “TEPCO has never shown any remorse for the extensive suffering it caused, taking the arrogant position that any problem can be settled with some money. The power provider should be criticized for taking this position and neglecting to carry out its social responsibility.”