A Japanese court has ordered the government and the Fukushima nuclear plant operator to pay the equivalent of around $4.5m (£3.4m) to thousands of former residents who demanded damages for their livelihoods lost in the 2011 nuclear crisis. The Fukushima District Court on Tuesday said the government had failed to order Tokyo Electric Power Co. to improve safety measures despite knowing as early as 2002 of a risk of a massive tsunami in the region. The 3,800 plaintiffs who sued in 2015 are the largest group among about 30 similar lawsuits involving 12,000 people pending across the country. It was the second verdict that held the government accountable in the Fukushima meltdowns, following a decision in March by the Maebashi district court.
Independent 10th Oct 2017 read more »
Daily Mail 10th Oct 2017 read more »
As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party and Yuriko Koike’s emergent Party of Hope shape up to contest a Japanese national election this month, the two conservative forces are staking out key points of difference on taxes and nuclear power. Komeito also supports some restarts for now, but wants to push harder to expand the use of other energy sources and it ultimately seeks to move away from nuclear power. PoH wants to eliminate nuclear from Japan’s energy mix by 2030, chiefly out of concern for safety and the environment.
Bloomberg 9th Oct 2017 read more »
