Cancer patients seek damages from Fukushima nuclear plant
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press
TOKYO (AP) — A Tokyo court has begun hearings in a lawsuit seeking nearly $5 million in damages for six people who were children in Fukushima at the time of its 2011 nuclear power plant disaster and later developed thyroid cancer. The plaintiffs are suing the operator of the nuclear plant, saying radiation released after the accident caused their illnesses. Their lawyers say it is the first group lawsuit filed by Fukushima residents over health problems allegedly linked to the disaster. The plant operator says the plaintiffs were not exposed to enough radiation to cause cancer. A massive earthquake and tsunami destroyed the nuclear plant’s cooling systems, causing three reactor cores to melt and release large amounts of radiation.
