A Japanese court has ruled that Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), the operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, must pay compensation to residents affected by the Fukushima nuclear accident during the Great East Japan Earthquake.

According to NHK on the 28th, the Tokyo District Court ordered Tepco to pay 63 million yen (approx. 533.55 million won) in a lawsuit filed by residents against the state and Tepco, stating that they suffered through evacuation life and lived with anxiety over radiation exposure due to the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident.

The plaintiffs consisted of 233 people who either evacuated from Fukushima Prefecture to Tokyo or continued living in Fukushima following the accident, including individuals who were not issued evacuation orders by the government.

They had filed a lawsuit demanding a total of approximately 4.7 billion yen (approx. 39.8 billion won) in compensation from both the state and Tepco.

The court ruled that "it was a rational action for residents in areas not subject to evacuation orders to evacuate in order to avoid health concerns caused by radiation exposure, and a causal relationship with the accident is recognized. The accident also caused anxiety and fear to those who did not evacuate," ordering Tepco to pay 63 million yen to 212 of the plaintiffs.

However, regarding the liability of the state for compensation, the court dismissed the plaintiffs' claims, stating that "an obligation was imposed on Tepco to take appropriate measures to prevent accidents caused by tsunamis."

In class-action lawsuits related to the Fukushima nuclear accident, the court ruled four years ago to deny state liability, and similar rulings upholding this stance have continued in subsequent lawsuits.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster occurred on March 11, 2011, in the aftermath of the magnitude 9.0 Great East Japan Earthquake, when a tsunami flooded the Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing nuclear fuel to melt down and triggering hydrogen explosions.

This led to massive releases of radioactive materials and large-scale evacuation orders for neighboring regions.

According to Fukushima Prefecture, evacuees reached approximately 160,000 in 2012 (including 100,000 evacuees within the prefecture), and more than 15 years after the accident, 22,625 people (including 3,936 evacuees within the prefecture) are still living as evacuees as of May 1 of this year.