TEPCO Held Solely Responsible for Fukushima Damages, Compensation Halved

Tokyo High Court's decision aligns with previous Supreme Court ruling, sparking criticism from plaintiffs' lawyer who plans to appeal.

Tokyo High Court held only the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) responsible for paying damages to Fukushima evacuees, relieving the government of responsibility.
The court reduced the compensation amount to half of what the lower court had ordered, totaling 23.5 million yen ($165,000) to be paid to 44 of the 47 plaintiffs.
The ruling backpedaled from an earlier decision in 2018, which held both the government and TEPCO accountable for the disaster.
The decision aligns with the June 2022 Supreme Court decision that stated the government wasn't liable for the disaster and that the disaster from a tsunami that high wasn't foreseeable or preventable.
Plaintiffs' lawyer, Motomitsu Nakagawa, criticized the ruling, saying it belittles the suffering of disaster-hit residents and plans to discuss a possible appeal to the Supreme Court.