Nanohana Seikyo — a Chiba Prefecture food distribution cooperative with about 11,500 members — made headlines last month when it took on the role of David by suing the corporate Goliath that is Tokyo Electric Power Co. for losses in sales incurred as a result of the March 2011 nuclear disaster.
In its civil suit filed on Sept. 24 at the Chiba District Court, the co-op is seeking ¥22.91 million in damages from the utility company that operates the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
The amount being sought is minuscule set against the hundreds of billions of yen Tepco has already paid to corporations and individuals affected by the disaster — let alone the estimated ¥4.5 trillion that it, with massive injections of public money, is likely to have to pay in damages and compensation due to the explosions and reactor meltdowns at the plant, and the resulting releases of radioactive materials.