6 cancer patients sue utility over Fukushima radiation

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Six people who were children living in Fukushima at the time of the 2011 nuclear disaster and have since developed thyroid cancer have filed a lawsuit demanding a utility pay compensation. The plaintiffs are demanding a total of $5.4 million from the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which runs the the Fukushima nuclear plant. The plant suffered a triple meltdown following a 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Despite decontamination efforts, some areas are still off limits due to radiation effects. One of the plaintiffs and the mother of another said Thursday they hoped the court would establish a correlation between the cancer and radiation from the plant. An expert panel commissioned by the Fukushima prefectural government has so far ruled it out.