ID :
274085
Fri, 02/08/2013 - 12:15
Auther :

350 to Sue State, TEPCO over Fukushima Nuclear Accident

Fukushima, Feb. 8 (Jiji Press)--A group of about 350 people will file a lawsuit against the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. <9501> over the country's worst-ever nuclear accident at the utility's disaster-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the group said Friday. The group will file the lawsuit with Fukushima District Court, demanding that the government and TEPCO, the operator of the plant in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, pay consolation money and restore conditions before the nuclear crisis. The lawsuit will be filed on March 11, the second anniversary of the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that triggered the nuclear accident. It will be the first collective suit against the government over a nuclear accident in Japan, according to the group's lawyers. The people were residents of Fukushima, Miyagi, Yamagata, Tochigi, and Ibaraki prefectures as of March 11, 2011. About 50 of them are from evacuation areas near the nuclear plant. The group will demand the government and TEPCO reduce radiation levels to those before the accident and seek a monthly payment of 50,000 yen per head for the period from March 11, 2011, to the time when the original conditions are restored. At a press conference in the city of Fukushima, the lawyers explained why the plaintiffs are bringing a suit against the state. "Nuclear power has been promoted as a national policy and the government has been involved in many aspects, including the selection of nuclear power plant sites and the approval of plant operations," one lawyer said. Fumitaka Kanazawa, a 56-year-old business owner evacuated from an area in the Fukushima town of Namie, said, "I want to keep hopes (for the future) by seeking the restoration of conditions before the accident after two years of uncertainty." Izutaro Managi, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said they will include the government as a defendant so that they can put their demands directly to the government. The group hopes the lawsuit will contribute to improving support programs for evacuees, he said. Separately, some 40 to 50 people who evacuated to Chiba Prefecture and Tokyo plan to file damages lawsuits with Chiba District Court and Tokyo District Court, respectively, on March 11, informed sources said. Both suits will be filed against the state and TEPCO. The suit in Chiba is expected to demand compensation of over 10 million yen per head and the suit in Tokyo between 12 million and 15 million yen. END

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