Court orders TEPCO to pay ¥73.5 million over Fukushima nuclear crisis

"Even if the government had exercised its regulatory authority and had TEPCO take countermeasures, it could not have been possible to prevent the tsunami from triggering the accident," the judge said

Not according to the 420 page, 900 hour report carried out by the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission.

"Although triggered by these cataclysmic events, the subsequent accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant cannot be regarded as a natural disaster," it said.

"It was a profoundly man-made disaster - that could and should have been foreseen and prevented."

Even if the government had exercised its regulatory authority and had TEPCO take countermeasures, it could not have been possible to prevent the tsunami from triggering the accident

Citation needed. Looks like the judge is doing the wishful thinking for TEPCO.

The nerve to award 2 million yen to people who lost their entire livelihood to protect a monopoly that rakes in billions every year is just what you'd expect from a Japanese judge.

Should be $75million not yen!

Do these judges have no shame?? absolutely ludicrous amount considering the damage caused and neglect and disregard shown by the company!

Land starved Japan has its residents building on flood plains, too close to rivers and the sea.

However, it’s not as if tsunamis are unknown.

Tepco was not ignorant of this and consequently should be held liable for damages due to the company’s lack of foresight.

Cases like this & i have seen many over 30+yrs just illustrate just how much corruption has been legalized by the J-govt whereby they side with Japan Inc, courts award disgustingly low ""awards" & then spew nonsense about how the govt is not really at fault for anything rubbing massive amounts of salt into peoples wounds, just awful, its inhumane!

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc and the Japanese government, are considering appealing the ruling, some of them said in a press conference.

I would prefer to read Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc and the Japanese government, are moving ahead with implementing a variety of alternative sources of energy to replace nuke plants and burning huge amounts of environment damaging fossil fuels. But the fossils in Japan, Inc. are stuck in the fossil era and do not care about the environment nor do they care about future generations that will remain dependent on the globe's fossil establishment while having to live on a planet that has been damaged by the neglect of fossils from previous generations.

Wow, what a slap on the wrists for TEPCO. About $1000 for each plaintiff and that's before taking out attorney fees....

.... most of the damages awarded in its ruling have already been paid.

So TEPCO might actually be sending people a bill if they overpaid. Wouldn't surprise me.

Tepco received JPY850 billion in 2012 from a government backed bailout program specifically to use for compensation payments. That was 10 years ago and I expect they have received even more.

This is far less than even the interest earned on the bailout, even at a near zero interest rate (illustrative only, I appreciate that bailouts don’t necessarily work as an upfront cash payment).

Although there have been other compensation claims, the total has been tiny in comparison to the damage caused. Tepco should not still exist.

Thats less than what Amber Heard owes Johnny Depp.

Seems a pitiful amount for so much heartache.

I dont see why if there are massive seawalls elsewhere, why there wouldnt be a 100 foot wall around every nuclear reactor and a tsunami specific drill and procedure.

Tiny fraction of what should be paid,

"Even if the government had exercised its regulatory authority and had TEPCO take countermeasures, it could not have been possible to prevent the tsunami from triggering the accident," the judge said,

But the point is that the government and TEPCO acted wrongly, so they should assume the responsibility of their lack of actions. The damage may have not be prevented, but at least people would know the best efforts to limit it would have been done, this is not the case.

yeah about 1/1000 the damage and pain they caused people

Sheikh Yerboaby - but it's a private company....that is funded by its customers.

It 'was' a private company. The Japanese government bought out 51% of the company after the meltdowns.

Japan's major power corporations who have nuclear plants can add cost of nuclear disaster to electric bill.

Tepco or shareholders have no pain virtually.

A joke and an insult. Just enough money for each of the 525 to buy a new frig. The courts are not going to go any further on this.

The number look large but the reality is much larger.

this is facepalm.to victims and to justice.very pathetic.

Given that the plaintiffs had received compensation in the form of a monthly consolation fee of 100,000 yen from TEPCO through August 2012, the court ruled that most of the damages awarded in its ruling have already been paid.

What a nonruling.

Here's your $1,100 bucks for your upside down life... don't spend it all in one place!

I don't think Japan needs to go full-blown American in terms of litigious culture ($6M payout because the McDonald's coffee you spilled on your balls while you were texting and driving was 'too hot'), but jeez.. that settlement is a joke.

Many zeros are missing and especially, NOBODY was condamned so why such companies would change the system ? Justice is controlled by governement and this one involved in tepco and other large companies...

This will mean power rates jacked, even when this won't really effect their bottom line.

When ever there is money to be paid out, it's never theirs.

Two million yen is risible. But that is the point of Japanese legal compensation - it is not worth the effort to take on the establishment because you don't win enough to make the effort worth it. Victories can only ever by symbolic and are unlikely to correctly compensate for losses.

So the government were let off the hook.

It seems that after reading the article, and the photo, . . . that though there is an obligation on the part of the government to recompense the victims some feel it was not enough and that the compensation actually negated the merits of recompensating . . . further the particular nature of the plaintiffs' case perhaps did not consider some people like those of senior age . . . .

@ antifun

'Citation needed'

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220602/p2g/00m/0na/053000c

Insult.

They got off cheap!

Lets hear it for these Looters. Dont. Pay!!! Wuddya know, you got a Judge in the left suit pocket, a 70million yen votes buy us more loot- coupon in the right. You gotta give a Looter credit, they got the new plant launch in the news and next day they shake a pin stripe navy blue pant-leg and here comes the trickle!

Big PR ads and billboards costs money, but this here 70 mill- steal of the century. Wasnt there a dude named Kan. I remember the looters sent their dogs at him. But the judge says it was no ones fault after all. If I was Kan Id give this motomura ring.

Big time !!

73,500,000 ÷ 525 = 140,000 YEN each !!

Is this correct ??

agree with those that say it is a fraction of what tepco should pay.

but better than nothing I suppose.

I'd prefer to see tepco nationalized

Hey Claimants? How does it feel to be [....] upon by your national government and their/your Corporately corrupted 'justice' system? About USD 1,000 per person for forever disrupted lives, grief, general loss due to incompetence and disregard throughout TEPCO management and operation of the most dangerous technology known to Humankind. That TEPCO is not nationalized and its stockholders sent packing and its management incarcerated is an injustice all by itself but THIS, this is a contemptuous brush aside and nothing anyone might say about China or Russia and their treatment of their citizens could equal the Corporo-governmental moral depravity we see here. I wish I could say here what I think would be an appropriate and 'in kind' response...

People are saying that the fine should have been bigger, but we are the ones who will have to pay it through our power bills!! TEPCO is set up so it always makes a profit, regardless of its expenses.

Kinda hard to put an accurate compensation number on a disaster that hasn't ended yet because they haven't finished dealing with the contaminated water and will be decades until thats finished.

Not to mention everything else it's negatively impacting including product sales.

The disaster affected everyone

but it's a private company....that is funded by its customers....therefore any further awards would be borne by US the consumer!! The shareholders, company execs etc should have to give up their bonuses and money before the population at large is taxed for their negligence

PTownsendToday  07:15 am JST

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc and the Japanese government, are considering appealing the ruling, some of them said in a press conference.

I would prefer to read Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc and the Japanese government, are moving ahead with implementing a variety of alternative sources of energy to replace nuke plants and burning huge amounts of environment damaging fossil fuels. But the fossils in Japan, Inc. are stuck in the fossil era and do not care about the environment nor do they care about future generations that will remain dependent on the globe's fossil establishment while having to live on a planet that has been damaged by the neglect of fossils from previous generations.

PT,

You chopped your quote a bit above, its the plaintiffs who are considering appealing:

But the 525 plaintiffs, who sought 11 million yen per person in damages from both Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc and the Japanese government, are considering appealing the ruling, some of them said in a press conference.

This result is a very positive vote for Management receiving what they would receive in China...