national

200 U.S. residents seek $1 bil in damages over Fukushima nuclear disaster

53 Comments

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© KYODO

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

53 Comments
Login to comment

Or basically they are each seeking $5,000,000 each. Isnt going to happen, and while TEPCO may have subsidiaries in the US that could be forced to pay out any judgement's, it's going to be years and years and years before anyone sees any money, IF at all!

15 ( +19 / -4 )

200 gold-diggers wanting a free lifetime ride for "psychological damages" so they're going after the deepest pockets. Disgusting. The only people who deserve anything are the ones who can prove their radiation exposure was strong enough to cause physical harm.

14 ( +29 / -15 )

The US navy had sailors swabbing the radioactive deck of an aircraft carrier reported on CNN without any protective clothing even though there had been explosions at the nuclear plant resulting in radioactive discharges.

8 ( +12 / -4 )

Sue the U.S. Government... they own you when you're in the Military and they put you in harms way. This lawsuit will, again, get nowhere and rightfully so.

11 ( +19 / -8 )

Operation Tomodachi? Or Operation Dorobo? If this lawsuit sets a precedent, foreign allied nations will in the future reject any assistance from U.S. forces thereby affecting US strategic policy. Besides, TEPCO did not order these plaintiffs to the area. They have no authority to do so. The U.S. Navy did. One would think the Dept of the Navy has enough legal clout to quash this action.

16 ( +22 / -6 )

So why aren't they suing the US Navy for putting them in harms way and not explaining to them the risks. Or is that not the job of the US Navy, to go into dangerous and risky places? If they have suffered health concerns, come to Japan and get treated.

In these class action suits, if the plaintiffs lose do they have to pay damages? It seems in the US there are so many class action suits, but who pays the court and legal costs. This is more money siphoned away from the real victims of the nuclear crisis, the people of Tohoku.

16 ( +21 / -5 )

They should be suing the Navy, which you can't do. The Navy has no obligation to avoid putting thier people in harms way. It comes with military service. Could you imagine if every Iraq vet sued the Army for putting them in danger? Carriers go to danger zones all the time and people could get killed. If you don't like that, don't join the military.

9 ( +16 / -7 )

Sue the hell out of TEPCO! Hear that Japan? More Japanese should do whatever it takes to get rid of that cancer called "TEPCO". The only reason the reactors went to hell is the so called "trained staff" couldn't handle a real world situation. They should never be allowed to even look at a nuclear reactor again.

-8 ( +9 / -17 )

Some tomodachi!

14 ( +14 / -0 )

They do have a good point about improper design. What bunch of idiots puts a nuclear power plant next to an ocean in a country that has more earthquakes than any other? Probably should have spent a little money and built a sea wall before the disaster. Suing people is stupid and US culture, but it was poorly designed and bound to happen at some point.

-2 ( +10 / -12 )

Im so angry at these American.As another poster said,they are “Gold Diggers” after a meal-ticket from huge corporation. Radiation was not even a problem where they were,PM Abe and Trump should knock this suit on the head immediately, and counter-sue them for court cost.

6 ( +16 / -10 )

@ BieberHole, tsunami was once in 1000 year event. This was an accident and “act of God”. Japanese government and TEPCO is NOT responsible for a natural didaster.

-1 ( +11 / -12 )

"improper design"? The reactors were General Electric Mark 1 reactors, designed and built by GE, which is an AMERICAN company. When Toshiba and Hitachi built reactors 2 and 3, they requested putting the emergency power back toward the mountains rather than underground next to the reactors fearing a tsumami, but GE refused for "safety reasons". Also, they claim TEPCO faked the radiation readings. TEPCO had no radiation readings because there was no electricity to run the detectors. The radiation readings came from a detector provided by and set up by the US embassy, not TEPCO.

8 ( +12 / -4 )

@ganbare

Angry are you? These folk came to help. They didn't have to. (well, yeah...they were ordered) No doubt some of them are not genuine. But I'm guessing many are.

Do you know anyone who has suffered as a result of such exposure?

No?...well I do. And it ain't no trivial matter. Whether these folk should be suing Tepco is a matter of opinion. But they deserve to get the money for their treatment and compensation for the pain and the consequences later in life.

They came to help. Just remember that and be glad it's not you that's bleeding from the eyes.

-3 ( +10 / -13 )

@ BieberHole, tsunami was once in 1000 year event. This was an accident and “act of God”. Japanese government and TEPCO is NOT responsible for a natural didaster.

They were warned ahead of time that it could happen, and ignored those warnings because they didn't want to spend the money to deal with the possibility. So they (should) bear responsibility out of negligence.

-1 ( +7 / -8 )

In addition to the design flaws of the General Electric Mark 1 reactors, the biggest problem is that TEPCO used them a decade beyond their designed service life. The reactors should have been retired a decade before the earthquake. But they were making lots of money for TEPCO.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

I'm not sure how people can think that the victims of the disaster deserve compensation but the rescuers do not. That's pretty callous. What other option do they have but to sue? From what I understand TEPCO doesn't want to pay anybody, let alone foreign aid workers.

-4 ( +7 / -11 )

Agree this will set a possibly fatal precedent if allowed to go forward. This lawsuit is as baseless as it gets and really mars the Tomodachi operation that was so heartwarming.

Very unfortunate to hear that some of those who came to help, uninvited by Japan but forcibly sent by America, are now trying to monetize on this historic tragedy

5 ( +11 / -6 )

The terrible incident on March 11 was an act of God. Such an event would have shattered most buildings no matter how they were designed. To exploit that incident for money is just pathetic and an insult to those who perished on that day.

May their souls rest in peace.

-1 ( +7 / -8 )

The suit aside, it would be interesting to find out how much radiation they were exposed to if any, THEN maybe everyone here could properly assess this.

When Toshiba and Hitachi built reactors 2 and 3, they requested putting the emergency power back toward the mountains rather than underground next to the reactors fearing a tsumami, but GE refused for "safety reasons". 

Gokai, you sure about that, I don't recall hearing anything other than tepco putting the backup generators onsite & below the water table.....

And while the reactors were indeed GE, the operations were mostly tepco & certainly tertiary safety would also be on tepco not ge, they built it where tepco wanted it

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Americans don't mess around, I'll give them that. None of this $10,000/family for having your life destroyed.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

On a sidepoint, as someone who thinks operation tomadachi was a pr photoshoot, why would the nave send an aircraft carrier to NPP with thousands of fuel assembiles when they are exploding?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I was there, and took radiation reading as part of my job (still have the handwritten notes), and will say these people are full of it.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

@strangerland

They were warned ahead of time that it could happen, and ignored those warnings because they didn't want to spend the money to deal with the possibility. So they (should) bear responsibility out of negligence.

Completely wrong and misinformed. This was a 1 in 1000 years natural disaster. Impossible to predict. Japanese government and TEPCO bears zero responsibility for it, unless you think they are so powerful they control nature. If you know Japan, there are almost no other areas the Nuclear Reactors can be built. Tiny country but 127 Million people. These Americans are looking for big payday. Sue the US Navy and US Government. Not Japans fault they need the cash due to very low wage in US Military. Japanese people are not suing anyone, just getting on with life as normal.Why US Citizens are doing this, supposed to be "friends" of Japan?

6 ( +10 / -4 )

Astonishing greed from a bunch of opportunists. Where do they think that money will come from?

9 ( +10 / -1 )

tsunami was once in 1000 year event. This was an accident and “act of God”. Japanese government and TEPCO is NOT responsible for a natural didaster.

Gambare Japan - I agree that is a frivolous claim that should go nowhere and that TEPCO were not responsible for the tsunami itself, but the official Japanese government report concluded that TEPCO was responsible for the disaster. If they had been carrying out appropriate safety measures, there would not have been a nuclear disaster.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

It looks like a fishing exhibition. I think you're going to need a bigger boat.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Completely wrong and misinformed.

Wrong:

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant ignored warnings that the complex was at risk of damage from a tsunami of the size that hit north-east Japan in March, and dismissed the need for better protection against seawater flooding, according to reports.

Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) officials rejected "unrealistic" estimates made in a 2008 internal report that the plant could be threatened by a tsunami of up to 10.2 metres, Kyodo news agency said.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/29/fukushima-daiichi-operator-tsunami-warning

This was a 1 in 1000 years natural disaster. Impossible to predict.

The fact that it was predicted proves you wrong.

Japanese government and TEPCO bears zero responsibility for it

Tepco was warned, and ignored the warnings. So they bear responsibility.

1 ( +8 / -7 )

Im compelled to quote Trump here.

'I guess the knew what they were signing up for'

If you have any lawsuit, direct it to the Navy that directed you to 'help'.

Not the people who didnt force you to help them

1 ( +5 / -4 )

If this group of people and their layers wanted USD 1 billion to cover medical expenses related to radiation exposure, then just send them to India for treatment for life and the real cost is just around USD 20 million. To date, many American people have travelled to India for state-of-the-art treatments for around 2% of what the American doctors charge in their country. Please click on this link to find out more about this emerging tendency: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/01/29/health-care-surgery-india-america-disruption-column/97056938/.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

What’s this 1000 year nonsense.

1993-Hokkaido, 30m and 193 dead. 1983-Akita, 10m and 103 dead. 1946-Nankai, 1500 dead. 1944-tonankai, 1223 dead. 1923-Tokyo area, 10m and many dead. 1933-Sanriku, 3068 dead. 1923-Tokyo, 12m and many dead. 1896-Sanriku, 30m and 27000 dead. 1854-Ansei tsunami, 8.4m-16.5m and 80,000 dead...

they are restarting NPP with 10-18m sea walls, and all are past their end dates or on active faults or volcanoes.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Have to love the US legal system that allows any sprurious claims to be brought for exorbitant amounts of money.  will be interesting to see how far this goes.  Or if TEPCO settle for (say) 100 million.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Completely wrong and misinformed. This was a 1 in 1000 years natural disaster. Impossible to predict. Japanese government and TEPCO bears zero responsibility for it

The probability is more like 1 in 100 years. Given the operating life of a nuclear plant is expected to be more than 40 years the chance of it being hit by a tsunami or large earthquake is considerable.

Even if we take your 1 in 1000 years probability as true (which it isn't) that still gives a 4% chance of a disaster hitting the plant over a 40 year period. That's entirely predictable, yet was ignored to save money. The responsibility lies 100% with Tepco and the Japanese government.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

'Glad' to see American ambulance chasers exist even in Japan.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Scrote - actually, the figure of 1 in 1000 years has been used a lot by both Japanese and non-Japanese seismologists to describe how often tsunamis of that size occur IN THAT AREA

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-12740649

The previous similar tsunami was in the 9th century as far as people know.

The rarity of such tsunami does not excuse TEPCO or the government one bit; the government managed to find the money to build giant walls along most of the Tohoku coast post-2011, so they should have ensured that TEPCO had built such a wall along a small section of coastline pre-2011.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Ganbare Japan!

@ BieberHole, tsunami was once in 1000 year event

Not exactly, the Indonesia earthquake/tsunami in 2004 was far more worse than the one in 2011, only that there were no nuclear reactors around in the affected area. The nuclear reactor's on the coast in a earthquake/tsunami prone area is the issue, and than you have to look at, why a country with such high number of lethal earthquakes need nuclear reactors in the first place.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Wow an American suing, must be in there DNA.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Get on that gravy train!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

With “friends” like US Navy,who needs enemy?

Im pretty sure Trump and Pence will order this ridicilous case to be thrown out. Republican Judges wont like this claim.Trump and Abe-San are very close,and will be “on the same page” on this.Trump is big businessman; he is against claimers suing corporations just to make big payout for no reason.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Im pretty sure Trump and Pence will order this ridicilous case to be thrown out.

I'm pretty sure that Trump and Pence, as leaders of the executive branch, are unable to order cases to be thrown out, as the case is part of the judicial branch.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

200 U.S. residents seek $1 bil in damages over Fukushima nuclear disaster

"participants in the U.S. forces' Operation Tomodachi relief effort carried out in the wake of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami that crippled TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant."

Wow.... The greed among the greedy....Participants should sue the U.S Military and not Tepco. Everyone knows Radiation was already active. Anyone asked to join can have the option to reject joining the operation.

IMHO

0 ( +2 / -2 )

While I sympathize with the plaintiffs and appreciate their intentions to help, I disagree with their lawsuit. They unfortunately have also become victims of the natural disaster and they are not the only ones.

That said, this is a case of product liability. Both GE and Tepco played a part but in a PL case it would be Tepco by “design” and “negligence.”

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Americans will sue at the drop of a hat. I'm surprised that veterans haven't sued the Afghan government for Taliban shooting at them...

Seriously though, I think some shyster lawyers have been looking for ways to make some easy dosh.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

If somebody has the right to file a suit against Tepco, then it's the Japanese people living near the power plant at this time when the disaster happend.

Not the US residents which only try to get "easy money" from this sad disaster.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

If somebody has the right to file a suit against Tepco, then it's the Japanese people living near the power plant at this time when the disaster happend.

Superb comment.Japanese people are not suing TEPCO and Japanese Govt.; they realise that they are innocent and could not prevent a freak 1 in 1000 year natural disaster. No liability of TEPCO/Japanese Govt. Japanese people are working hard at return to their home towns and not complaining and launching lawsuit for cash grab. Unlike USA Military people. Abe Government will vigorously defend this spurious lawsuit, on behalf of Tokyo Electric.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

John SulzynskiToday  10:58 am JST

I was there, and took radiation reading as part of my job (still have the handwritten notes), and will say these people are full of it.

Full of radiation or full of the proverbial Poo?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Hope the damages are awarded. There's been enough horrors inflicted on this country by radiation as it is.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

While I don't particularly agree with the action of these residents, at the same time I don't agree with the ever higher amounts of compensation asked (demanded) by people whenever there is some incident involving USA military in Japan.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

will be interesting to see how far this goes. Or if TEPCO settle for (say) 100 million.

Well, since basically the same case was already thrown out of court once, TEPCO has no reason to settle as this second attempt will almost undoubtedly also be throw out.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Superb comment.Japanese people are not suing TEPCO and Japanese Govt.

Yes they are. Read the newspapers.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites