logo
Court rejects Fukushima crisis damages order against ex-TEPCO execs

Court rejects Fukushima crisis damages order against ex-TEPCO execs

The Mainichi4 days ago

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A Japanese high court on Friday overturned a ruling ordering former executives of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. to pay the utility damages for failing to prevent the 2011 crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The decision by the Tokyo High Court came after a district court ordered the former executives in July 2022 to pay around 13 trillion yen ($90 billion) in compensation. Both the defendants and shareholders seeking the damages had appealed the ruling.
The district court found the four former executives liable for compensation after the combined impact of a massive earthquake and tsunami on the plant in northeastern Japan in March 2011 caused one of the worst nuclear disasters in history.
The focal point of the appeal trial was whether the management's decisions on tsunami countermeasures were appropriate after a TEPCO unit estimated in 2008 that a tsunami of up to 15.7 meters could hit the plant based on the government's long-term earthquake assessment made public in 2002.
The district court found the late former Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata, former President Masataka Shimizu, and former Vice Presidents Sakae Muto and Ichiro Takekuro liable for damages. Katsumata's lawsuit was taken over by his heir.
The acquittals of Takekuro and Muto in a criminal suit were finalized in March. Charges against Katsumata were dismissed after his death last October.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Labor-starved Japan taps foreigners and seniors to drive its buses
Labor-starved Japan taps foreigners and seniors to drive its buses

Nikkei Asia

timean hour ago

  • Nikkei Asia

Labor-starved Japan taps foreigners and seniors to drive its buses

TOKYO -- As Japanese bus operators struggle to compete with other transport companies for drivers, some are finding ways to tap talent outside the usual corners, including students from Southeast Asia and retirees seeking second careers. In March, bus company Jotetsu agreed to a tie-up with the city of Sapporo, where it is based, and language school operator Hokkaido Arbeit Johosha. The plan is for Jotetsu to bring students on as drivers after they graduate from the two-year school. The city, which wants to maintain its bus routes, will cover part of the students' tuition and wages.

Kyodo News Digest: June 9, 2025
Kyodo News Digest: June 9, 2025

Kyodo News

time2 hours ago

  • Kyodo News

Kyodo News Digest: June 9, 2025

KYODO NEWS - 4 hours ago - 23:00 | All, World, Japan The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan vigilant after China's sea maneuvers off easternmost island TOKYO - The Japanese government said Monday that it will continue to closely monitor China's growing maritime activity and step up surveillance after a Chinese aircraft carrier was spotted for the first time near a remote Pacific island on Japan's easternmost edge. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a regular press conference that China apparently intends to "enhance its capability to carry out missions at sea and in the skies farther away" from its shores. ---------- Japan PM aims for nominal GDP to reach 1,000 tril. yen in 2040 TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Monday that Japan should aim to boost its economy to 1,000 trillion yen ($7 trillion) in nominal terms by 2040, instructing his ruling party executives to include it in a pledge for this summer's nationwide election. The size compares with the country's nominal gross domestic product of around 600 trillion yen in 2024. ---------- Japan, South Korea leaders agree to build stable ties in 1st phone talks TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and new South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed Monday to build stable bilateral ties amid a severe strategic environment, with both expressing hope to meet in person at an early date. In their first telephone conversation since Lee took office last week, Ishiba and the South Korean leader also confirmed the importance of trilateral cooperation with their shared ally, the United States, the Japanese government said. ---------- 4 Japan SDF members hurt in blast near U.S. Kadena Air Base NAHA, Japan - An explosion occurred Monday near the U.S. military's Kadena Air Base in the southern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa, slightly injuring four Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members who were working at a depot, local and Defense Ministry officials said. The ministry officials said there was an unidentified explosion while SDF personnel were preparing for bomb disposal operations, causing those in close proximity to suffer finger lacerations and possible hearing damage. ---------- Japan's top negotiator eyes U.S. trip this week for 6th tariff talks TOKYO - Japan's top tariff negotiator is arranging a visit to the United States later this week for a sixth round of ministerial-level talks aimed at securing concessions over a series of tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, a government source said Monday. The fourth trip in as many weeks by Ryosei Akazawa, minister in charge of economic and fiscal policy, would come ahead of an envisioned meeting between the leaders of Japan and the United States at the time of the three-day Group of Seven summit in Canada from June 15. ---------- Japan Jan.-March GDP revised up, still 1st contraction in 1 year TOKYO - Japan's economy shrank an annualized real 0.2 percent in January to March, revised up from the preliminary report but still marking the first contraction in four quarters, with consumption stagnant amid rising prices, government data showed Monday. Despite the upward revision from the earlier reading of a 0.7 percent decline, the data underscored that Japan lacked a growth engine even before the full impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's higher tariffs set in, while inflation hit household sentiment. ---------- Japan current account surplus in April rises 3.2% to 2.26 tril. yen TOKYO - Japan's current account surplus rose 3.2 percent from a year earlier to 2.26 trillion yen ($15.6 billion) in April, remaining in the black for the third consecutive month, lifted by a significant contraction in the trade deficit, the government said Monday. The surplus, which was the biggest for the reporting month, came as the country's trade deficit shrank 94.8 percent to 32.8 billion yen, as exports increased 4.0 percent to 8.77 trillion yen on the back of brisk demand for semiconductors and food items. Video: Bakers compete in Best of Mondial du Pain contest at Osaka Expo

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store