information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
29 Mai 2014
May 26, 2014
Court tells TEPCO to pay evacuee's living expense
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140526_28.html
A court has ordered Tokyo Electric Power Company to cover the living expenses for a man who evacuated after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The Kyoto District Court issued the ruling last Tuesday and told the utility to pay 400-thousand yen, or about 4,000 dollars, a month for one year from May.
The man in his 40s is seeking compensation of 1.3 million dollars, arguing that he has been unable to work since the nuclear accident due to post-traumatic stress disorder.
He evacuated from Fukushima Prefecture to Kyoto City on a voluntary basis.
He filed for a court injunction last December to require TEPCO to make monthly payments of 6,000 dollars. He said he cannot maintain his life without temporary financial support.
The man's lawyer and TEPCO say the utility has paid compensation to evacuees as part of its legal settlements. But this is the first time a court has ordered the utility to cover living expenses.
The lawyer, Kenichi Ido, says the ruling paves the way for financially struggling evacuees to continue pursuing lawsuits against TEPCO while securing funds to live on.
A TEPCO official declined to comment on the ruling.
May 26, 2014 - Updated 08:55 UTC
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