Tokyo court only holds utility responsible to compensate Fukushima evacuees and reduces damages

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — A Tokyo court has ruled that only the operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant had to pay damages to dozens of evacuees, relieving the government of responsibility. Plaintiffs criticized the ruling as belittling their suffering and the severity of the disaster. The decision on Tuesday comes at a time Japan’s government accelerates reactor restarts to maximize nuclear energy to meet decarbonization targets while seeking to tone down the impact of the nuclear disaster 13 years ago and its memory gradually fades.