US sailors sue Japan's TEPCO for post-quake radiation exposure

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2. U.S. Sailors File Suit Against Fukushima Nuclear-Plant Operator

http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2012/12/28/u-s-sailors-file-suit-against-fukushima-nuclear-plant-operator/

December 28, 2012, 12:19 PM

U.S. Sailors File Suit Against Fukushima Nuclear-Plant Operator


Alexander Tidd/U.S. Navy/Getty Images
A U.S. sailor scrubs the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to remove potential radiation contamination on March 23, 2011 while operating off the coast of Japan during Operation Tomodachi.

Eight U.S. Navy sailors who took part in rescue operations following last year’s devastating earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan filed a damages suit last week against Tokyo Electric Power Co. , the operator of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, for not revealing dangerous levels of radiation. The sailors claim Tepco failed “in reckless disregard” to properly inform them of the actual radiation contamination levels, giving them a “false sense of security,” according to the suit filed in a California federal court.

The group is seeking $10 million in compensation and $30 million in punitive damages for fraud, failure to warn them of the health risks, for the plant’s defective safety designs, deceptive business practices and public nuisance. The group also wants the company to create a $100 million fund to cover their medical costs.

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The eight sailors with the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan were dispatched as part of a large-scale tsunami relief effort called “Operation Tomodachi.” The six-week operation ultimately included 20 ships and nearly 20,000 personnel. One of the eight sailors also named her daughter, born seven months after the March 11 disasters, as a plaintiff in the suit.

The suit says Tepco and the government “conspired and acted in concert” to create an “illusory impression” that the extent of the radiation that leaked from the plant was at levels that wouldn’t pose a threat so as to promote the company’s interests and those of the government.

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