Iwate demands damages from TEPCO

 January 23, 2014

Iwate Prefecture files petition against TEPCO

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140123_34.html 

Prefectural and municipal governments in Iwate, northeastern Japan, have filed a petition with a state arbitrator to demand that the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant pay nearly 14 million dollars in damages.

The claim is the first by a prefectural government against Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, since the nuclear accident at the facility in 2011.

Iwate Prefecture's government and municipalities, along with other organizations, had demanded that TEPCO pay 73.8 million dollars in decontamination and labor costs. The firm refused to pay about one fifth of the amount.

On Thursday, officials representing 25 claimants, including the prefecture, many of its municipalities, and a garbage disposal service provider, filed the petition with the Center for Settlement of Fukushima Nuclear Damage Claims in Tokyo.

Senior official Tomoya Odashima from Iwate's prefectural office said they decided to seek government arbitration as it's unlikely that they would get anywhere by continuing negotiations with TEPCO. The official called for a settlement that can end anxiety among local people.

Ichinoseki City Mayor Osamu Katsube said radiation hot spots in southern parts of Iwate have affected local agriculture and livestock industries.

Katsube said TEPCO should fully acknowledge its responsibility and compensate as soon as possible.