REUTERS
- Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), the owner of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi
nuclear power plant, last month began accepting victims' applications for
compensation, but the complex procedures have for many become a source of more
grief.
Here are some facts about how victims of the
nuclear disaster will be compensated.
PROCEDURES
To receive compensation over the nuclear
disaster, victims can apply to Tepco directly or seek mediation by a
third-party group.
They can sue the utility, though there have
been only a handful of cases so far.
It is now accepting compensation application forms
from evacuees and businesses for the five months to end-August.
After this, Tepco plans to accept claims at an
interval of every three months. It is unclear until when this will last.
Nuclear compensation claims against it for the
year to next March are likely to be about 3.6 trillion yen ($46.5 billion)
according to a government panel calculation. Some analysts estimate payments
could be as high as $130 billion.
The troubled utility is seeking help from a
taxpayer-funded bailout body to foot the cost. It must submit a business
restructuring plan and win government approval by the end of this month in
order to recieve funds from this body.
INDIVIDUALS
Those forced to evacuate are eligible for
compensation covering lost income, psychological suffering and costs for
transportation and lodging. It is unclear whether and how individuals who left
voluntarily would be compensated.
In the case of those forced to flee,
individuals would be paid 5,000 yen per person for transportation within the
same prefecture. They would receive up to 8,000 yen per day for hotel expenses
and 5,000 yen to cover decontamination efforts to deal with radiation exposure.
A typical family of four where the husband was
the sole breadwinner making 270,000 yen a month would be paid about 4.5 million
yen, including 2.8 million yen for psychological suffering, Tepco said.
Property damage and other claims that will
take longer to assess will be dealt with at a later date, which some experts
say is problematic as this is often the biggest asset for individuals.
Prior to the first round of compensation, the
utility has handed out about 52 billion yen in temporary payments to 56,400
households and an additional 43 billion to individuals for fees they had paid
to be evacuated.
It sent out application forms to some 80,000
individuals but have only received 7,100 requests for compensation as of Oct.7.
BUSINESSES
Businesses can be compensated for lost profits
and any additional costs occuring from the nuclear disaster. Such businesses
include stores, staffing services, forestries, manufacturers and tourism
businesses.
Most businesses will be compensated for lost
profits, which will be calculated by comparing the profits for the five months
after the nuclear accident to end-August and what they have made in the same
period in the recent years.
Businesses will also be reimbursed for extra
costs related to the disaster such as radiation tests.
Damage to property and other assets will be
dealt with later.
Tepco has paid about 8.2 billion yen to small
and mid-sized companies as temporary compensation.
The utility sent out about 10,000 application
forms to businesses in and near Fukushima. Only 300 have been returned so far.
Because of the extent of the impact of the disaster across Japan, about 300,000
businesses are expected to make claims.
FARMERS
AND FISHERMEN
Farmers and fishermen will be compensated for
lost profits and any additional fees they had to pay.
For those who were operating within 30
kilometres from the plant, where people were forced to or advised to evacuate,
representative groups are negotiating with Tepco on compensation.
Tepco has paid about 21.8 billion yen to
farmers and 3.6 billion yen to fishermen in temporary compensation.
($1 = 77.365 Japanese Yen)
(Reporting by Yoko Kubota, Editing by Jonathan
Thatcher)
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