The ruling was a major victory for the plaintiffs and could set a precedent for similar lawsuits pending across the country, according to the plaintiffs' head lawyer, Izutaro Managi.
So far, 13 lower court decisions were divided over government responsibility in the disaster.
The court also ordered the government and the plant's operator,
“We ask the government to extend relief measures as soon as possible, not only for the plaintiffs but for all victims based on the damage they suffered,” Managi said.
The earlier ruling also said a tsunami risk was foreseeable and the disaster could have been avoided if the government had ordered
The high court said Wednesday that regulators at the government's now-defunct
The court said both the government and
Plaintiffs said the ruling brought some justice, but their lives can never return to normal and their struggle is far from over.
“For more than nine years, I have planted seeds on the contaminated soil and grown vegetables, always worrying about the effects of radiation,(asterisk) plaintiff Kazuya Tarukawa, a farmer from Sukagawa in Fukushima, said at a meeting after the ruling. (asterisk)Our contaminated land will never be the same."
The plaintiffs sought monthly compensation of about
The government argued that it was impossible to predict the tsunami or prevent the subsequent disaster.
Chief Cabinet Secretary
Radiation that spewed from the plant's melted reactors contaminated the surrounding areas, forcing about 160,000 residents to evacuate at one point. More than 50,000 are still displaced because of lingering safety concerns.
The plant is being decommissioned, a process expected to take decades.
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