A court ordered the government and the operator of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant Tuesday to pay a combined
It was also the 15th decision handed down among around 30 similar damages suits filed across
A total of 257 plaintiffs, 90 percent of whom at the time were living in Fukushima city and other locations outside of areas given evacuation orders, had sought a combined
"While (the ruling) is a sign of recognition of the government's responsibility, it doesn't reflect the actual lives that those who evacuated to
Following the ruling,
At the court, the operator had said it had already paid damages to some of the plaintiffs and that the amount was adequate as it was based on the government guidelines. The utility also said it was not obligated to compensate the others as they had voluntarily evacuated.
The government has denied responsibility for the disaster, saying it could not have foreseen the flooding of the nuclear plant due to a tsunami.
The plaintiffs argued that
They also said that the psychological distress they suffered due to fears that radiation exposure had damaged their health, among other concerns, had impacted their ability to lead a normal life following the evacuation.
==Kyodo
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