The Tokyo High Court on Friday freed four former Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) executives of financial responsibility for the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, AP News reported.
The court overturned a landmark 2022 district court ruling that had ordered them to pay 13 trillion yen ($90 billion) in damages. The decision concluded the executives could not have reasonably anticipated the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that triggered the meltdowns, rejecting arguments that they neglected long-term tsunami predictions.
While the 2022 Tokyo District Court found the executives liable for ignoring experts’ warnings about tsunami risks, Friday’s ruling deemed those predictions insufficient to mandate immediate action. As reported by Japanese media, the high court determined the data available at the time did not create “a sense of urgency” requiring preventative measures.
This aligns with Japan’s Supreme Court’s March acquittal of two other TEPCO executives in a criminal case, which similarly cited the unforeseeable scale of the disaster.
The verdict sparked outrage among Fukushima residents and activists, with plaintiffs’ lawyer Hiroyuki Kawai calling it “logically flawed.” He argued the ruling sets a dangerous precedent, saying that nobody can be held liable for any safety negligence because tsunami and earthquake predictions are still impossible today.
The shareholder group, which initially sought 22 trillion yen ($153 billion) in 2012, plans to appeal to Japan’s Supreme Court. The case remains pivotal in global nuclear safety accountability debates, as the 2011 meltdowns displaced tens of thousands and rendered parts of Fukushima uninhabitable for decades.
