Making Others Pay For TEPCO's Mistakes

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced that the burden for providing funds to those displaced by the disaster at the Fukushima-Daichi power plant would be borne by TEPCO's customers living in the Kanto region. Naturally those least likely to have the financial wherewithal are forced to rectify mistakes made by others.

Who gave TEPCO the right to build a nuclear power plant next to the ocean?

What idiot decided that putting the back-up power generators in the basement was a good idea?

It wasn't the Japanese people who allowed TEPCO to lie about their safety record and ignore requests for safe plant operations.

Do the people of Fukushima own their elected representatives? No. But TEPCO does.

The central government approved a framework on May 13 for providing support to Tokyo Electric Power Co. as it pays out compensation for damages arising from the accident at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

The framework is predicated on maintaining TEPCO as a viable company that does not end up with excess liabilities.

However, because the plan could lead to electric power companies passing on the compensation costs through higher electric rates, debate in the Diet on the legislation to implement the plan will likely be heated.