抄録・内容(英) | A large amount of radioactive substances was released following the nuclear accident in Fukushima in March 2011, resulting in severe environmental contamination. Following the accident, the local administration functions of nine towns and villages were transferred to other municipalities, paralyzing socioeconomic functions over a wide area. Many people lost their former occupations and livelihoods as well as the conditions required to support these-following large-scale evacuation. These conditions include all conditions required to engage in daily work and life, including private property such as homes or agricultural land built over many days and years, basic conditions such as infrastructure of all kinds, economic and social relationships, environments, and natural resources. Evacuation orders began being rescinded in April 2014, with orders ultimately being rescinded for 32,000 people as of spring 2017. However, the outlook is not so bright for those returning home. Even if local administration functions are restored and populations flow back into local areas to engage in work such as decommissioning or decontaminating the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the community will not be restored to what it was prior to the accident if local residents are replaced. If the majority of local residents are forced to evacuate due to a nuclear accident, it will be extremely difficult to restore regional society to its original state. The damage caused by "loss of hometown" is extremely serious, and therefore, is a crucial point at issue in class action lawsuits filed by nuclear accident victims in regions all over Japan. During a roughly one-year period beginning in March 2017, seven decisions from district courts were handed down for these class action lawsuits. In all of these decisions, the courts independently decided to recognize damages outside the guidelines for reparations established by the national Dispute Reconciliation Committee for Nuclear Damage Compensation. The Chiba District Court (September 2017), Tokyo District Court (February 2018), and the Iwaki Branch of the Fukushima District Court (March 2018) all recognized damage caused by "loss of hometown" and ordered reparations to be paid. However, damages have not been sufficiently evaluated. The amounts acknowledged for areas outside of those that received evacuation orders are especially low. The courts will need to evaluate damages with consideration as to how severe the actual damage is. |