TEPCO, the operator of Fukushima nuclear plant, damaged by the disaster that hit Japan on March 11 earthquake and tsunami, will pay up to $12,000 per family forced to flee their homes.
A government committee yesterday decided to start payments to citizens affected by the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
The company president, Masataka Shimizu, said that the Japanese evacuated from the area of nuclear power plant will start receiving checks for compensation on April 28, writes CNN.
The date was not chosen by chance, on 29 April, Japan celebrates the “Golden Week”, an important national holiday.
TEPCO calculations indicate that the total will reach 600 million dollars. Last year, the company recorded profit was 17 billion dollars.
Earlier this month, nuclear power plant operator has offered a symbolic amount as compensation to the inhabitants of 10 towns in the affected area. But there were cases when the offer was declined: there were only $12 each for the 20,000 residents.
Approximately 78,000 people living within a radius of 20 km around the plant were evacuated after the Fukushima disaster on March 11.