PRESS CONFERENCE
11:00-12:00 Monday, August 8, 2022
(The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation)
Legal Battles Continue over TEPCO and Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Cause
Yuichi Kaido, Co-chair of the National Association of Lawyers for a Nuclear Power Free Japan
Hiroyuki Kawai, Co-chair of the National Association of Lawyers for a Nuclear Power Free Japan
Yui Kimura, Secretary-General,TEPCO Shareholder Derivative Suit
The 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami caused a total loss of power at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. First the earthquake cut power lines to the plant then the tsunami flooded the emergency diesel power system. As a result, three of the plant's reactors suffered meltdowns and explosions.
More than 50 TEPCO shareholders have sued five former executives for compensation over damages caused by the disaster. They have accused company board members and others of failing to take appropriate countermeasures to protect the emergency power generators as recommended by a "highly reliable" 2002 study by the Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion.
The study concluded that there was a possibility of a huge tsunami hitting the plant. It noted that three major tsunami-causing earthquakes exceeding magnitude eight have occurred in the past 400 years along the Japan Trench located off the Pacific coast of Honshu Island, including the area offshore of Fukushima Daiichi. The lawyers will outline the legal issues and the status of the lawsuits seeking to demonstrate the civil liability of TEPCO executives.
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. 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/Sm81yqEZS8YhiFEZ8
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.
Professional Activities Committee