□ Ji Yong, our correspondent in Japan

　　The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan was identified as one of the most serious nuclear leakage incidents in human history, causing incalculable damage to the lives, health and property of the local people.

Today, 11 years after the accident, more than 30 compensation lawsuits against the Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company (hereinafter referred to as "TEPCO") by the people affected by the nuclear leakage are still ongoing.

Recently, the Supreme Court of Japan ruled on three class action lawsuits, determining for the first time that TEPCO should be liable for compensation to the victims.

　　Supreme Court decision

　　On March 2, the Supreme Court of Japan rejected TEPCO's appeal and ordered TEPCO to pay about 1.4 billion yen (about 76.3 million yuan) in compensation to about 3,600 plaintiffs who were affected by the nuclear leakage accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

The decision is the first Supreme Court decision to determine Dongdian's liability for compensation among more than 30 similar class actions initiated by more than 12,000 accident victims so far.

　　According to Japanese media reports, the three class-action lawsuits are lawsuits filed by victims of Fukushima and neighboring prefectures to the Fukushima District Court, lawsuits filed by Fukushima victims who sought refuge in Chiba Prefecture, and lawsuits filed by refugees in Gunma Prefecture.

Among them, the Fukushima lawsuit seeks compensation of 1.01 billion yen, the Chiba lawsuit seeks compensation of 120 million yen, and the Gunma prefecture lawsuit seeks compensation of 270 million yen.

The earliest of the three class-action lawsuits began in March 2013.

　　The Japanese High Court previously ruled that the nuclear power plant accident caused the defendant's living foundation to be lost or changed dramatically, and the long-term evacuation life also caused damage to the individual's spirit, and TEPCO needs to compensate for this.

This time, the Supreme Court upheld the ruling.

　　As the first Supreme Court decision to determine Dongdian's liability for compensation 11 years after the accident, it will serve as a reference for the remaining 30 or so similar lawsuits.

　　Coincidentally, following the judgment on the 2nd, the Supreme Court of Japan rejected Tepco’s appeal in three other similar class actions on the 7th, ordering about 580 plaintiffs to compensate about 1.1 billion yen (about 59.95 million yuan).

　　According to reports, the three class actions are a lawsuit filed by residents of Kodaka District, Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture who received an evacuation order from the government after the accident to the Tokyo District Court, and residents in Fukushima City and other places outside the evacuation order area filed a lawsuit against Fukushima. The lawsuit filed by the district court, and the lawsuit filed by the residents of Minamisoma City and other places to the Iwaki branch of the Fukushima district court.

　　In the above three class actions, the compensation awarded by the Supreme Court of Japan is higher than the compensation standard of the Japanese government.

Plaintiff’s lawyer Yoshitaro Nomura told the verdict at a press conference that the Supreme Court’s rejection of Tepco’s appeal before March 11 (the anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake) was to send a message to Tepco to “stop arguing and take responsibility.”

　　Compensation standards come into focus

　　At present, among the more than 30 lawsuits concerning compensation for the victims of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident, including the 6 class actions made by the Supreme Court of Japan, whether the compensation responsibilities of TEPCO and the Japanese government and the compensation standards determined by the government guidelines are reasonable , is the main point of contention in the court hearing.

　　First of all, the compensation standard of TEPCO is mainly based on the guidelines for determining the scope of compensation revised by the Japanese government's "Atomic Energy Damage Compensation Dispute Review Committee" in 2013, and the compensation standard determined by TEPCO based on the guidelines, and the victims submit compensation requests to TEPCO. , and the compensation amount will be determined after review by TEPCO.

This method of compensation gives TEPCO the initiative of the compensation items and amount, which results in the compensation amount being generally much lower than the actual losses suffered by the disaster victims, which has become the most debated issue in the compensation lawsuit.

The amount of compensation awarded by the Supreme Court of Japan this time is higher than the compensation standard of TEPCO.

The judgment will not only have an impact on other similar lawsuits, but may also play a role in urging the Japanese government to revise the compensation guidelines.

　　Secondly, regarding the "joint and several" compensation liability of the Japanese government.

In many lawsuits, the plaintiffs all argued that, in view of the "long-term assessment" of earthquake predictions published by the Ministry of Earthquake Investigation and Research Promotion of the Japanese Government in 2002 and other data, the government and TEPCO could have foreseen the accident and adopted measures to raise the breakwater and waterproof the nuclear reactor building. and other measures, but the government did not improve it, resulting in accidents.

Since the public has delegated the responsibility for nuclear power regulation to the government's nuclear power regulation committee, the government should bear the "joint and several" responsibility for the accident.

The government's liability for compensation has been inconsistently determined among the six class-action lawsuits in which the Supreme Court of Japan has ruled.

In the next step, the court is expected to make a final decision this summer on the basis of hearing the opinions of the country and the public, and to divide the proportion of the compensation paid by the Japanese government and TEPCO.

　　Finally, with regard to TEPCO's liability for compensation to victims who took the initiative to evacuate outside the government's evacuation area, TEPCO evaded the liability for damages and spiritual compensation based on the scope of compensation stipulated by the Japanese government's "Atomic Energy Damage Compensation Dispute Review Committee".

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff's claim, finding that Dongdian was liable for compensation.

Although the Supreme Court of Japan did not give detailed reasons for the verdict, the Sendai High Court, which made the second instance judgment, held that the plaintiff suffered great mental distress such as intense fear caused by nuclear radiation in the accident, and even if the government did not issue an evacuation order, the damage could be determined. Tepco is required to pay 300,000 yen in compensation to each person.

　　Tepco should sincerely apologize

　　In response to the first judgment by the Supreme Court of Japan that Tepco should be liable for compensation, Osaka City University professor Kuben Rishi commented in Kyodo News, "Tepco should determine the liability for compensation as an opportunity and sincerely apologize."

　　"Fukushima People's Daily" commented that 11 years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, and more than 33,000 people are still living in (Fukushima) prefecture and beyond.

The ties between the victims and their local communities and their families were cut off due to the accident, and the issue of compensation has not been resolved. This situation has made the victims angry.

It is hoped that the Supreme Court of Japan can stand in the position of relief for the victims and make a judgment on the responsibility of the country as soon as possible.

　　As one of the most serious nuclear leakage accidents in human history, the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident has a huge and far-reaching impact and harm. There are still many problems surrounding the compensation for the accident, the determination of the responsibility of the TEPCO leadership and the aftermath of the nuclear power plant.

　　In February, Japanese prosecutors compulsorily prosecuted the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident on charges of business negligence causing death and injury. The case between the former vice president) and Muto Sakae (71 years old, former vice president of Tepco) was heard in the Tokyo High Court.

The court is expected to issue a verdict at the next hearing.

In the first trial in 2019, the prosecutors ruled that three people knew that a large tsunami might cause a nuclear power plant accident but neglected to respond, resulting in a huge nuclear leakage disaster, causing a total of 44 people in the Futaba Hospital and Nursing Home near the nuclear power plant to be evacuated. On the grounds of death, the three defendants are required to be sentenced to the crime of business negligence causing death and injury, and to be sentenced to 5 years in prison.

　　In addition to the court hearing, there are more problems in the aftermath of the nuclear power plant.

TEPCO expects the nuclear power plant's decommissioning operation to be completed in 40 years, during which it faces numerous problems such as the removal of nuclear fuel rods, the recovery of melted nuclear fuel and the disposal of radioactive pollutants.

The Japanese government originally planned to transport the radiation-contaminated soil and construction waste inside and around the nuclear power plant to outside Fukushima Prefecture for disposal, but the plan was actually stalled due to opposition from various places.

Regarding the treatment of nuclear waste water, the Japanese government even disregarded the strong opposition of the local people in Fukushima Prefecture and the international community, and insisted on discharging it into the ocean, causing harm to all mankind.

　　The aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident will take a long time, and the risks will accumulate. The Japanese government and TEPCO should take a positive and responsible attitude to make up for the losses as much as possible, avoid the continued expansion of pollution, and regain the trust of the Japanese people and the international community.