The ruling that absolves the state of responsibility for the crisis may set a precedent and affect the outcomes of similar lawsuits filed across the country, seeking compensation from the government and holding it responsible for the accident.
The top court dismissed the petitions by some 3,700 people who had to flee their homes as the disaster devastated their lives.
They had filed four lawsuits separately in Fukushima,
The court said the tsunami that hit Fukushima was worse than expected, and even if the state had ordered
Lower courts were split over the extent of the state's responsibility for the disaster since the government was the regulator.
Of the four lawsuits, high courts found the state responsible except in the
The ruling leaves the owner of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant,
They claim compensation for the devastation of their homes and the prolonged impact on their lives.
The earthquake and tsunami triggered partial meltdowns in three of the plant's four reactor cores, spreading radioactive contamination over a wide area around the plant and forcing the evacuation of more than 100,000 people.
More than 15,500 continued to live in temporary accommodations. EFE
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