PRESS CONFERENCE
Kenichi Ido, Attorney, Lead Counsel for the 3.11 Children's Thyroid Cancer Lawsuit
Hiroyuki Kawai, Attorney, Co-counsel for the 3.11 Children's Thyroid Cancer Lawsuit
13:00-14:00 Wednesday, March 2, 2022
(The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation)
Fukushima Thyroid-Cancer Victims Take TEPCO to Court
In the 11 years since the triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant, nearly 300 cases of thyroid cancer have been detected in mass screenings of Fukushima Prefecture residents who may have been exposed to radiation from the accident.
The Japanese government insists there is no relationship between the nuclear accident and the increase in the number of children suffering from thyroid cancer. As a result, say some Fukushima residents, many victims have felt unable to speak out about their fears.
On January 27th, six young Japanese people filed a class action lawsuit against TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company), the operator of the plant in March 2011, seeking a total of ¥616 million in compensation. The plaintiffs, who were between six and 16 years old at the time of the disaster, say they developed thyroid cancer due to exposure to radiation after the meltdown. Four of the six have had their thyroids removed.
Their supporters say they have faced various hardships, and the burden of continued medical treatments has forced some to drop out of college or abandon careers, in addition to other difficulties. The plaintiff’s lawyers will discuss their ongoing treatment, why it has been hard to speak out and what is at stake in the trial.
How to attend:
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Due to space restrictions attendance will be limited to 20 people. Doors open 15 minutes before the event. Please sign in, giving your name and contact details at the reception, and have your temperature taken before proceeding.
How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live
Livestreaming of the press events will be available and video of this event will be uploaded to our FCCJ YouTube channel.
How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/XPM8iQKX6PBymYSbA
Members watching the event online can submit questions for the speakers in advance using this submission form.
TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event. There will be five positions available for livestreaming.
Professional Activities Committee