Opinion ID: 4536271
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Act on Compensation for Nuclear Damage

Text: In the early 1960s, the Japanese National Diet enacted legislation “to establish a basic system pertaining to compensation for damages in the case where nuclear damage has occurred in connection with the operation . . . of a nuclear reactor” and to “provid[e] protection for injured parties and contribut[e] to the sound development of nuclear reactor operations.” Act on Compensation for Nuclear Damage, Act No. 147, ch. I, art. 1 (June 17, 1961) (Compensation Act). The Compensation Act encouraged participation in Japan’s nuclear industry while ensuring compensation for any persons injured through operation of nuclear power plants. Articles 3 and 4 of Chapter II of the Compensation Act provide that the operator of a nuclear plant is strictly liable for any damage caused by the operation of the power plant but that COOPER V. TOKYO ELEC. POWER CO. 11 “no other person shall be liable to compensate for damages.” Id. at ch. II, arts. 3–4. This is referred to as the “channeling provision.” These provisions, along with others that provide for the creation of a national insurance pool and financial backing from the Japanese government to fund compensation, work to facilitate recovery for accident victims by eliminating the need to prove fault and ensuring recovery of damages. Id. at ch. III, arts. 6–9.