TEPCO follows through on promise to compensate Japanese seafood producers suffering Fukushima-related reputational damage

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that controversially released treated wastewater into the ocean in late August, began accepting applications for compensation from fishermen and businesses that have suffered reputational damage about the water release.

By offering compensation for reputational damage, TEPCO is fulfilling a promise made right before the water release on 22 August, when Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida assured the seafood industry that TEPCO would compensate those who experienced subsequent dips in revenue due to price declines or buyers refraining from purchasing.

“We will fulfill our responsibilities with a strong determination not to cause reputational damage, and we will firmly prepare a system,” TEPCO President Tomoaki Kobayakawa said, solidifying Kishida’s promise on the same day.

While the company appears to be following through with the system it promised, the amount of compensation that it grants may ... 

Photo courtesy of the Tokyo Electric Power Company