2017 Volume 63 Issue 2 Pages 41-46
The losses caused by nuclear power plant accidents can be greater than those calculated in monetary terms alone and also greater those that are subject to damages claims. Shiitake mushroom producers in the city of Ichinoseki, in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, were forced to restrict the shipment of their products as a result of the accident at The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Here, we investigated the post-earthquake status of large-scale shiitake mushroom producers and their submission of damages claims to TEPCO. The results elucidated some of the “invisible” damage caused by the nuclear accident. They also revealed the importance of damages claims based on documented and quantified management records; a management system in which there is dedicated involvement in damages claim negotiations; and appropriate collaboration with other parties from the perspective of the condition of victims as effective means of making damages claims against TEPCO.
