Firms may be compensated for lost sales due to import restrictions imposed by foreign countries following the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
Firms may be compensated for lost sales due to import restrictions imposed by foreign countries following the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
The government screening panel on compensation for nuclear accidents agreed to consider such payments at a meeting July 1. Companies that lost business because of the dramatic fall in foreign tourists to Japan following the accident may also be eligible for payments.
Further discussions will be held to determine the amounts of compensation to be paid out. Interim guidelines are expected to be compiled by the end of July.
Under the previous guidelines, compensation could be provided for damage caused by negative publicity about agricultural products. Tourism firms with bases of operation in Fukushima Prefecture could also receive money.
However, the new guidelines are expected to widen compensation coverage. The government panel will consider whether tourism firms outside Fukushima Prefecture should also receive money and will discuss compensation for negative publicity outside the agricultural sector.
After the accident, many foreign nations placed import restrictions on Japanese food products and required radiation checks on products shipped out of Japan, hitting sales and increasing costs for exporters.