On Tuesday, the Tokyo High Court ruled the Japanese government not liable for the damages related to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster and subsequent mass evacuations. The sole responsibility was placed upon the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO).
The court also decreased the damage amounts of a former order from $414,400 to $165,000 for 44 out of the 47 petitioners. The ruling aligns with a previous judgment in 2022, which declared the government could not have likely prevented the flooding that resulted in the plant’s destruction. The court maintained that even increased regulatory actions would not have stopped the catastrophe as the tsunami’s size, direction and scale surpassed estimations.
This decision follows a series of varying outcomes over recent years. In 2020 and 2017, court cases litigated the government’s role in failing to prevent the disaster. Additionally, a 2022 court case held TEPCO executives personally accountable.
Representing the evacuees, lawyer Motomitsu Nakagawa expressed disappointment with the decision, suggesting the possibility of another appeal while describing the judgment as a “copy and paste” of the earlier Supreme Court ruling. The nuclear calamity has already incurred $82 billion in damages, decommissioning costs and storage for contaminated materials.
TEPCO has been entrusted with all decommissioning work, including storing contaminants. However, its financial standing has worsened over the last few years due to the extensive costs related to the work and multiple delays attributable to technological hurdles.
The legal ramifications have also reached the cleanup activity, with lawsuits filed by South Korea fisheries and Japanese fishermen concerning the release of radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. The discharge has sparked international apprehensions from nearby nations and protests from activists who fear pollution and the extensive obliteration of wildlife and marine ecosystems.
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