Japan court rules TEPCO, govt liable over Fukushima disaster

Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) and the Japanese government are liable for damages totaling about 500 million yen ($4.44 million) in the largest class action lawsuit brought over the 2011 nuclear disaster, a district court in Fukushima prefecture ruled on Tuesday, according to a Kyodo report. The class-action suit was filed by a group of about 3,800 people, mostly in Fukushima prefecture. This is the biggest number of plaintiffs out of about 30 similar class-action lawsuits filed across the nation, Reuters said. In March, a Maebashi district court’s ruling also fixed the government's responsibility. The three district court decisions so far have ordered TEPCO to pay damages, while the Chiba court decision last month did not find the government liable for compensation.