Fallout evacuees to sue for damages

[bananas]

Source: JIJI

Residents forced to flee from fallout ejected by the Fukushima No. 1 power plant meltdowns plan to sue the government and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. in 14 district courts across the country, it was learned Sunday.

Similar suits filed by 1,278 evacuees are already pending at 11 district courts, lawyer Motomitsu Nakagawa said.

As the third anniversary of the disaster approaches, the central government is trying to dismiss the suits, claiming the blackout-induced meltdowns at the aging and poorly protected power plant were unforeseeable.

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Read more: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/03/02/national/fallout-evacuees-to-sue-for-damages/

[RobertEarl]

1. 160,000 forced from their homes

And the health records of those staying are not looking too good.

Imagine a private company doing something that forced 160,000 Americans to leave their homesteads, farms and cities.

We shall see if the government of Japan cares more for its companies or its people, eh?

[kristopher]

2. I'm sure Abe was expecting blowback.

Editorial: Maintaining nuclear energy dependency a violation of LDP election promise

拡大写真
With only partial edits to wording deemed too emphatic on the importance of atomic energy, the just-released draft of the government's basic energy plan shows the government's intention to continue using nuclear power.

Our worst nightmare has come true. The draft is in violation of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP) campaign pledge in the December 2012 general election to establish an economic and social structure that does not depend on nuclear energy. We urge that the government's course be corrected in line with its election manifesto through ruling coalition talks that are set to take place ahead of a Cabinet ruling on the plan.

We are not speaking out against the goal put forth by the energy plan draft of reducing Japan's dependence on nuclear power as much as possible. The problem is, rather, that the plan not only fails to provide a road map toward the realization of that goal, but presupposes the continued use of atomic energy.

The plan explicitly states that the government will promote the reactivation of nuclear reactors that are found to meet the safety standards set by the Nuclear Regulation Authority. It also states that the government will determine the extent to which it will use nuclear reactors based on considerations such as cost reduction. This suggests that the government does not expect to bring the use of nuclear energy to an end.

Maintaining our dependency on nuclear power will...

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/perspectives/news/20140226p2a00m0na015000c.html