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Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) said Thursday it has discontinued paying compensation for psychological injury to displaced women in Fukushima Prefecture who have since married.
After last year's nuclear disaster, many single women had to move to temporary housing. Some have since married, leading TEPCO to argue that they are no longer in need of compensation as their husbands are most likely able to provide for them, Sankei Shimbun reported.
However, an arbitration panels which is handling disputes between nuclear evacuees and TEPCO said that it had received complaints from several women about having their compensation terminated.
Based on guidelines given by the Japanese government, TEPCO is obligated to pay monthly damages of 100,000 yen to every person who had to evacuate and endure a long-term life elsewhere until such time as they are able to return to their homes. The Agency for Natural Resources and Energy in the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which is overseeing the compensation process, criticized TEPCO for arbitrarily deciding to end compensation to the women and has asked the utility to resume payments, Sankei reported.
In response, TEPCO posted a vague notice on its website, in which it said that compensation will not be terminated simply because they have gotten married. There are cases where compensation for emotional distress will be continuously provided even if the individual in question married after the accident.
TEPCO said the conditions of compensation are based on individual circumstances (not solely by marital status). For those who had to relocate, the compensation paid is the same as those who are still not able to return to their homes.
© Japan Today
10 Comments
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smithinjapan
Any possible way to cut corners, eh? I wonder if they'll stop payment to execs who admit wrong-doing?
basroil
http://www.tepco.co.jp/comp/faq/index-j.html#Q04-6 That is not vague at all. Basically, if the marriage is to someone who is also displaced there is no effect, but if the wife moves in with her husband who was not displaced the payments may be stopped. Also, if the couple had planned on moving back to displaced areas the fact of a marriage would not be significant.
The entire point is to weed out people who married and had no intention of going back regardless of the situation (i.e. those who were engaged ahead of the accident with plans to relocate elsewhere)
Harry_Gatto
Exactly and a fair decision by TEPCO this time.
mitoguitarman
And BTW 100,000 yen isn't enough!
Open Minded
How TEPCO is allowed to decide wether they must pay or not a compensation?
Time for them to understand for good that they are not above the law! But I appreciate that after decades of misconduct you do not change this kind of attitude overnight...
basroil
Open MindedOct. 19, 2012 - 10:56PM JST
There is no law regulating who gets what and for how long.
hereforever
As much as I'm against TEPCOs ways, I have to agree with them. If the victims can move on with life and can financially fend for themselves, the money should be redirected to the more needy. I don't know about the rest of you but I don't want to continue paying high taxes forever. I much prefer to send my hard earn money directly to the people up north in one way or another.
RowanM
I have to admit that I can agree with the idea, if not with their exact reasoning. If these women are assessing themselves as willing and able to enter into a marriage, then they're assessing themselves as psychologically stable enough to do so. So this policy is sexist (and stupid for assuming that the men are always able to provide where a woman cannot) but I can agree with a policy that cuts psych damage payments for anyone (man or woman) who gets married.