» Sense of unfairness over different compensation split commities in Fukushima

2014/03/03

A sense of unfairness is spreading among Fukushima Prefecture residents over different amounts of compensation over the nuclear disaster. The gap stems from guidelines by the government’s Dispute Reconciliation Committee for Nuclear Damage Compensation, which sets redress according to evacuation zones.

The Nuclear Damage Compensation Dispute Resolution Center (ADR) lacks flexibility over the guidelines set by the committee under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and is losing the trust of Fukushima residents.

Some residents are filing suit to seek additional compensation after their compensation has been cut off, but lawsuits themselves are threatening to become a burden on nuclear disaster victims. One expert pointed out the need for a framework for smoothly resolving redress problems.

During a town policy meeting for Tomioka, which was held in the Fukushima Prefecture city of Iwaki on Feb. 12, residents expressed their displeasure to senior town officials over unfairness in compensation amounts, asking them to request the central government to limit such gaps to a minimum.

The dispute reconciliation committee last December set new guidelines for compensation for psychological distress among residents from no-go zones (annual radiation levels of over 50 millisieverts), domicile restriction zones (annual radiation levels of between over 20 millisieverts to 50 millisieverts) and zones subject to possible lifting of evacuation orders (annual radiation levels of 20 millisieverts or less). The guidelines also cover land purchases by the residents outside the restricted zones.

A uniform amount of compensation was granted exceptionally to residents of the towns of Okuma and Futaba, which mainly fall in no-go zones. But the town of Tomioka has a mix of the three zones, prompting town residents to complain about different amounts of compensation.
The Tomioka town government has set April 2017 as the earliest date for the return of residents to the zones for domicile restrictions and the possible lifting of evacuation orders. The residents make up 71 percent of the town’s population. But a survey in August last year shows that only 12 percent of Tomioka residents want to return home. Those wishing to return to their homes have to wait for the evacuation order to be lifted. Compensation payments will stop one year after the lifting of the evacuation order. If they do not return home, they have to stay away without any redress.
<Media Report>
Nuclear redress gap angers Fukushima residents (Mainichi Newspaper)

Tags:compensation, evacuation, news, Tomioka town

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