Arab News Japan

TOKYO: More than a hundred Japanese attended the ninth hearing concerning ​​young adults suffering from thyroid cancer, which, they say, was caused by the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011.

According to lawyers at the Tokyo District Court, the difficulty of the case lies in the evaluation of the irradiation and contamination standards, which have been contested by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the accused operator of the nuclear plant.

One of the victims’ lawyers, SAINEN Kyosuke, questioned the conclusions of the International Commission on Radiological Protection that several American researchers say are incomplete. During his argument he presented his conclusions, which, he said, refuted the claim that the radioactive contamination level was just 100 millisieverts.

Lawyer SUJIURA Hitomi told a press conference she wanted to convey to the judge that the children had their futures ruined when their cancer was diagnosed after a prefectural screening of children under 18 who were exposed to radiation in the Fukushima nuclear accident.

The young adults initiated the court case to be recognized as victims of the nuclear accident.

As of January 31, 2024, 328 people who were children in 2011 have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, according to the prefectural survey of the Fukushima region.