Arab News Japan

TOKYO: The Tokyo District Court on Wednesday ruled that four former executives of the Tokyo Electric Power Company should pay 13 trillion yen ($95 billion) for failure to take measures to prevent damage from a tsunami.

TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi plant was largely destroyed as a result of a massive tsunami following a huge earthquake on March 11, 2011.

The court ruled that four of the five defendants in the civil case filed by TEPCO shareholders were responsible for failure to take measures against possible tsunami even though they had been warned of the dangers in 2008.

Protests have been made in front of the court since the earthquake and a crowd was on hand to hear the verdict despite the rainy weather. Shortly before 4:00 p.m., the plaintiffs unfurled victory banners as they left the court.

Lawyer Hiroyuki Kawai praised the decision, which this time was based on evidence from the Fukushima power plant, a move that was denied during the investigation at the criminal trial.

The award of 13 trillion yen is the largest ever awarded by a Japanese court. The plaintiffs had sought compensation of 22 trillion yen.

Among the five defendants – former Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata, former vice presidents Sakae Muto and Ichiro Takekuro, former President Masataka Shimizu and former Managing Director Akio Komori – only Komori was not deemed liable to pay the damages.