Fukushima court rules that TEPCO is to blame for a woman’s suicide

The Fukushima District Court has ordered Tokyo Electric Power Company, also known as TEPCO, to pay ¥49 million ($470,000) in damages after ruling that the Japanese electric utility company was responsible for a woman’s suicide following the infamous nuclear disaster that occurred in March 2011.

This ruling is the first of its kind in the three years since the triple meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant caused radioactive materials to be spewed into the environment. It could set a precedent for other claims against the electric utility company, of which there are many.

The civil lawsuit by Mikio Watanabe claimed that TEPCO was responsible for the death of his wife who, just a few months after the nuclear disaster, doused herself and kerosene and set herself on fire. Watanabe’s wife, Hamako, had fallen into a deep depression after the nuclear disaster.

The nuclear disaster forced more than 150,000 from their homes, about a third of which are still living in temporary housing. TEPCO has to be bailed out with taxpayer funds back in 2012 and expects to spend nearly $50 billion in compensation alone for the nuclear disaster.

“We would like to deeply apologize again for the disruption and concern that the Fukushima Daiichi accident caused to many people, first and foremost the people of Fukushima,” TEPCO said in a statement following the verdict. “We understand that there has been a verdict handed down in this case. We will study the verdict and respond in a sincere way. We pray that Hamako Watanabe has found peace.”

Read more about the story at Reuters.