Japan nuclear plant operator promises compensation

JAPAN: The embattled operator of Japan's crippled nuclear power plant on Friday promised an initial one million yen ($12,000) in compensation to each family living close to the facility.

"We have decided to offer necessary payment as provisional compensation so that we can provide as much support as possible," Masataka Shimizu, president of Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), told a news conference.

Tens of thousands of people living in a 20-kilometre (13-mile) zone around the plant were ordered to leave due to radiation fears, and people within 30 km were first told to stay indoors and later encouraged to also evacuate.

"We will pay the provisional payment to families who lived in areas where people were ordered to evacuate or stay inside their houses," Shimizu said.

TEPCO plans to pay as much as one million yen as an initial payment to each household as soon as procedures finish, Shimizu added.

The earthquake and tsunami that hit northeast Japan on March 11 knocked out cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, triggering explosions and fires that caused radioactive smoke and water to leak into the air and sea.

TOKYO, Friday, AFP