Each household forced to evacuate because of radiation to get $12,000 in Japan

PanARMENIAN.Net - Japan's government ordered the operator of a tsunami-damaged nuclear plant Friday, April 15, to pay $12,000 to each household forced to evacuate because of leaking radiation, but some of the displaced slammed the handout as too little.

Tens of thousands of residents unable to return to their homes near the nuclear plant are bereft of their livelihoods and possessions, unsure of when, if ever, they will be able to return home. Some have traveled hundreds of kilometers (miles) to Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s headquarters in Tokyo to press their demands for compensation.

TEPCO will start paying compensation April 28, with families forced to evacuate getting 1 million yen (about $12,000) and individuals getting 750,000 yen (about $9,000), Trade Ministry spokesman Hiroaki Wada said.

"There are around 150 evacuation centers alone. It will take some time until everyone gets money. But we want the company to quickly do this to support people's lives," Trade Minister Banri Kaieda said at a news conference.

The arrangement is a provisional one, with more compensation expected, Wada said. Roughly 48,000 households living within about 19 miles (30 kilometers) of the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant would be eligible for the payments, AP reports.