Fishermen affected by nuclear crisis to get compensation
Apr. 7, 2011
Fishermen whose marine products have been affected by the release of radioactive particles from the tsunami-ravaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant should receive provisional compensation, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said Wednesday.
Edano told a news conference that ''it is natural'' for marine products affected by the nuclear crisis to be part of the upcoming compensation program in the same manner as agricultural products.
His remarks came a day after the plant's operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. unveiled a plan to pay provisional compensation, probably by the end of this month, to residents and farmers living near the crippled nuclear complex.
The utility has said it will make tentative estimates of the amounts to be paid out in consultation with the government, while there are no signs that the nuclear crisis, triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, will end anytime soon.
The government decided to set up a new task force to deal with compensation related to the nuclear crisis, government sources said, adding that its first meeting will be held as early as Friday.
The task force, to be headed by Edano, will discuss what the government would do in the event that the utility is unable to pay compensation in full, the sources said.
The government is also making final arrangements for the establishment of a fund with the power company, expected to start at around 50 billion yen, to provide provisional financial assistance to people who have evacuated from their homes located near the plant, according to the sources.
The utility, also known as TEPCO, is considering provisional payments of around 1 million yen to each household, the sources said.
Anxiety is also growing about seawater contamination and the safety of seafood, especially after the power company dumped water containing relatively low levels of radioactive materials into the sea this week.
Edano acknowledged that the government should have informed the public and neighboring countries in a more efficient manner in advance of the utility's dumping on Monday of a massive amount of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean.
The National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives Associations issued a statement on Tuesday, lodging a strong protest with the utility and the government. It said that fishermen are ''extremely angry'' about the ''irresponsible'' release of contaminated water into the sea without any prior consultation.
The head of the federation, Ikuhiro Hattori, held talks with the utility's chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata on Wednesday, urging the company to provide compensation for losses incurred by fishermen due to the crisis.
''It is unforgivable,'' Hattori told the chairman at the company's headquarters. Katsumata told him that the utility will pay compensation for losses ''as much as possible'' after discussing the issue with the government.
Countries such as South Korea have also expressed dissatisfaction with Japan's disclosure of information regarding its efforts to contain the crisis at the nuclear plant.
The utility made an announcement regarding the release of radioactive water at the last minute on Monday, saying it was necessary to make space for the storage of more highly radioactive water that has been hindering efforts to bring the plant's overheating reactors under control.
Ahead of the release, highly radioactive water was already leaking from the plant into the nearby sea. But the power company said Wednesday that the outflow of contaminated water had stopped in the early morning hours after the injection of sodium silicate into the ground near the plant's No. 2 reactor.
Compared with leafy vegetables grown near the plant, some experts were initially optimistic about the impact of radioactive leaks on marine products as contaminants would be diluted in seawater.
But that all changed after high levels of radioactive iodine-131 were detected this week in young sand lance caught off Ibaraki Prefecture.
Hattori told reporters that he could not predict the extent of the damage. ''Local people are suffering the most but I'm sure that Japan's fishery industry as a whole will be affected,'' he said.
Fishing grounds off Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures are very rich and many fishermen from across Japan go there to operate, according to the federation.
(Distributed by Kyodo News on April 6, 2011)
Edano told a news conference that ''it is natural'' for marine products affected by the nuclear crisis to be part of the upcoming compensation program in the same manner as agricultural products.
His remarks came a day after the plant's operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. unveiled a plan to pay provisional compensation, probably by the end of this month, to residents and farmers living near the crippled nuclear complex.
The utility has said it will make tentative estimates of the amounts to be paid out in consultation with the government, while there are no signs that the nuclear crisis, triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, will end anytime soon.
The government decided to set up a new task force to deal with compensation related to the nuclear crisis, government sources said, adding that its first meeting will be held as early as Friday.
The task force, to be headed by Edano, will discuss what the government would do in the event that the utility is unable to pay compensation in full, the sources said.
The government is also making final arrangements for the establishment of a fund with the power company, expected to start at around 50 billion yen, to provide provisional financial assistance to people who have evacuated from their homes located near the plant, according to the sources.
The utility, also known as TEPCO, is considering provisional payments of around 1 million yen to each household, the sources said.
Anxiety is also growing about seawater contamination and the safety of seafood, especially after the power company dumped water containing relatively low levels of radioactive materials into the sea this week.
Edano acknowledged that the government should have informed the public and neighboring countries in a more efficient manner in advance of the utility's dumping on Monday of a massive amount of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean.
The National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives Associations issued a statement on Tuesday, lodging a strong protest with the utility and the government. It said that fishermen are ''extremely angry'' about the ''irresponsible'' release of contaminated water into the sea without any prior consultation.
The head of the federation, Ikuhiro Hattori, held talks with the utility's chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata on Wednesday, urging the company to provide compensation for losses incurred by fishermen due to the crisis.
''It is unforgivable,'' Hattori told the chairman at the company's headquarters. Katsumata told him that the utility will pay compensation for losses ''as much as possible'' after discussing the issue with the government.
Countries such as South Korea have also expressed dissatisfaction with Japan's disclosure of information regarding its efforts to contain the crisis at the nuclear plant.
The utility made an announcement regarding the release of radioactive water at the last minute on Monday, saying it was necessary to make space for the storage of more highly radioactive water that has been hindering efforts to bring the plant's overheating reactors under control.
Ahead of the release, highly radioactive water was already leaking from the plant into the nearby sea. But the power company said Wednesday that the outflow of contaminated water had stopped in the early morning hours after the injection of sodium silicate into the ground near the plant's No. 2 reactor.
Compared with leafy vegetables grown near the plant, some experts were initially optimistic about the impact of radioactive leaks on marine products as contaminants would be diluted in seawater.
But that all changed after high levels of radioactive iodine-131 were detected this week in young sand lance caught off Ibaraki Prefecture.
Hattori told reporters that he could not predict the extent of the damage. ''Local people are suffering the most but I'm sure that Japan's fishery industry as a whole will be affected,'' he said.
Fishing grounds off Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures are very rich and many fishermen from across Japan go there to operate, according to the federation.
(Distributed by Kyodo News on April 6, 2011)
