Power company sued over 2011 Fukushima radiation leak

Six people with thyroid cancer who claim it was caused by radiation exposure following the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima have filed a lawsuit against the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, according to Japan Today.

The plaintiffs, according to the newspaper, were children living in Fukushima at the time of the nuclear power plant's meltdown in March 2011. They claim to have suffered acute effects from massive radiation exposure and have since developed thyroid cancer. They are suing the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which was in charge of the power station at the time of the accident, for compensation.

The victims are seeking 616 million yen ($5.3 million) in compensation in what their lawyers described as the first collective lawsuit filed by Fukushima residents regarding health issues related to the nuclear disaster.

The plaintiffs, whose ages range from 17 to 27, were diagnosed with thyroid cancer between 2012 and 2018, according to the newspaper. Four of them had their thyroids removed and required lifelong hormone treatment, with one victim reporting that cancer had progressed.

On March 11, 2011, a tsunami struck a six-reactor nuclear power plant on Japan's Pacific coast, causing three reactor cores to melt and hydrogen explosions at energy units in the days that followed. The accident caused the worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, resulting in widespread radiation exposure and contamination of nearby waters.