A family of four forced to evacuate by the Fukushima nuclear disaster could receive compensation of about 4.5 million yen ($58,000) in the first round of compensation payments by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO).
A family of four forced to evacuate by the Fukushima nuclear disaster could receive compensation of about 4.5 million yen ($58,000) in the first round of compensation payments by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO).
A compensation framework announced by the utility on Aug. 30 said evacuation expenses, loss of income and mental distress caused by the evacuation will be among the factors taken into account when calculating payments to be made from early October.
About 150,000 evacuees and thousands of companies are thought to be eligible.
The first round of payments will cover the period until the end of August. TEPCO will process subsequent compensation claims for continuing harm caused by the evacuation at three-month intervals.
The utility used the example of a family of four in outlining how much would be paid. It said the hypothetical family would receive about 4.5 million yen, including provisional compensation payments already received.
The actual amounts of compensation paid to families will vary according to their income prior to the earthquake, and the number of times people moved between evacuation centers following their evacuation.
The framework, which is based on the recommendations of a government-appointed panel, does not include compensation standards for the impact of the nuclear disaster on asset values. With the government evacuation order still in place, the difficulty of determining the extent of damage to homes and other assets means those standards will be announced at a later date.
People seeking compensation will be asked to submit applications to TEPCO for the period from March 11, when the Great East Japan Earthquake hit, until Aug. 31. Applications will be mailed out from Sept. 12 and will have to be submitted to TEPCO's headquarters in Tokyo or compensation centers in Fukushima Prefecture.
TEPCO has already paid out about 112 billion yen in provisional compensation.