TEPCO reaches settlement with Fukushima nuclear evacuees

A group of 176 evacuees from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster has reached a settlement with Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) regarding a damages lawsuit. The settlement was finalized on August 18 at the Sapporo High Court in Hokkaido.

As part of the agreement, the plaintiffs have withdrawn their damages claims against the Japanese government. This follows a June 2022 Supreme Court ruling that found the government was not liable for the nuclear accident. Under the terms of the settlement, TEPCO issued an apology for the irreparable damage caused to the plaintiffs. While the specific settlement amount remains undisclosed, lawyers for the plaintiffs noted the sum was “not sufficient but took into account their claims to a certain extent.”

Seiichi Nakate, the head of the plaintiffs, stated that while the settlement does not compensate for their “indescribable suffering,” the group chose to accept it to avoid further exhaustion. The legal battle follows a 2020 Sapporo District Court ruling that had previously ordered both the government and TEPCO to pay approximately 53 million yen to some plaintiffs.