Six thyroid cancer patients are seeking compensation from the Fukushima nuclear plant operator over the 2011 nuclear disaster, the worst nuclear disaster, much larger than the 1986 Chernobyl incident, with 3,000 thousand times higher radiation leak than Chernobyl. Six plaintiffs, who were children at the time of the 2011 disaster, are seeking nearly five million dollars in compensation.
A Tokyo court began hearings on Thursday in a landmark lawsuit filed by six cancer patients against the operator of the ill-fated Fukushima nuclear power plant. The plaintiffs were children at the time of the 2011 disaster – when the plant was crippled in a devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami – and they developed thyroid cancer later in life.
The group is seeking a total of 616 million yen ($4.9 million) in damages from the Fukushima operator, the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO). The plaintiffs believe the plant’s operator is responsible for their illnesses and the impact they’ve had on their lives.
“Because of the treatments, I could not attend university, or continue my studies for my future job, or go to a concert. I had to give up everything,” one of the plaintiffs, identified only as a woman in her 20s, told the court. “I want to regain my healthy body, but that’s impossible no matter how hard I wish.”
The plaintiffs, who were between the ages of six and 16 years old at the time of the disaster and lived in different parts of Fukushima prefecture, were diagnosed with thyroid cancer between 2012 and 2018, according to their lawyers.
The TEPCO legal team, however, told the court that the plaintiffs were not exposed to enough radiation to cause cancer.
The landmark lawsuit – which is the first-ever class-action against TEPCO over health problems allegedly linked to the disaster – was filed in January this year. Establishing a solid link between thyroid cancer cases and the 2011 disaster is meant to be the focus of the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs’ legal team argues that the occurrence rate – about 77 per 100,000 – is significantly higher than the usual one to two cases per million, and can only be linked to radiation – a well-known risk factor for thyroid cancer. Prefectural officials and experts have blamed the abnormal rates on excessive screening and over-diagnosing.
The Fukushima power plant was severely damaged after the 2011 9.0-magnitude Tohoku earthquake and a subsequent devastating tsunami. The plant experienced a catastrophic meltdown, becoming the worst nuclear disaster, much larger than the 1986 Chernobyl incident, with 3,000 thousand times higher radiation leak than Chernobyl.