The district court in Maebashi, recently ruled that the Japanese government was guilty of negligence which contributed to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The court ruled in favor of over 137 evacuees who were seeking damages, and the court found that the government neglected to use its regulatory powers in order to ensure that the plant's operators were taking the right precautions for safety.
This is said to be the first time that the government has been held liable in the matter.
The court has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars to victims who were forced to evacuate their homes in the immediate days following the disaster. According to the court, they allege that the meltdown could've been prevented; the negligence of many which contributed to the circumstances.
The plaintiffs in the case argued that the government should've had the sense to foresee that a tsunami might eventually hit the plant one day and should've prepared for it.
Japanese government officials previously estimated that there was a 1 in 5 chance of a powerful tsunami hitting the country within the next decade or two.
The court argued that the government should've utilized the regulatory powers already in place, to be sure that the Tokyo Electric Power company (TEPCO) was taking the proper measures. Unsurprisingly, those already established-rules failed to force people to do the right thing and therefore failed to prevent the disaster from occurring.
The Fukushima disaster has already cost the Japanese government over $188 billion and they still aren't close to having the clean-up finished and problem dealt with.
Since the Fukushima disaster, there have been dozens of lawsuits launched and numerous investigations into the actions of those involved and a number of officials have been fired and indicted because of the incident. There have been widespread allegations of corruption and collusion over the matter.
Just this week, the Japanese government had lifted orders for at least three more areas surrounding the Fukushima site. But for those areas where the evacuation orders have been lifted, residents have been very slow and seemingly reluctant in returning.
Pics:
CCTN
Kyodo/Reuters
Source:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/17/japanese-government-liable-negligence-fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-disaster
http://bit.ly/2oGPjTF
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/03/31/national/evacuation-orders-lifted-three-fukushima-areas-residents-slow-return/#.WN5syHRMSpo
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fukushima-disaster-anniversary-photos_us_56df07ace4b0000de40624e4
https://www.rt.com/news/377025-fukushima-radiation-breaks-robot/
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-tepco-fukushima-costs-idUSKBN13Y047
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