KAMIKATSU, Tokushima -- The Kamikatsu Municipal Government and a mushroom producing company based here will file a lawsuit against Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) for some 100 million yen in damages, claiming that the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima plant obstructed the production of local mushrooms.Kamikatsu Bio, a major Kamikatsu mushroom producing firm, claims that it suffered damage, including a significant financial loss, after radioactive cesium was detected in powdered sawdust the company purchased from a lumbermill in Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, between May and July 2011 for the purpose of growing shiitake mushrooms.
The sawdust totaling approximately 756 cubic meters was used in making logs to grow shiitake. Prior to cultivating the mushrooms, the company requested a contamination test on the powdered sawdust, which detected as much as 410 becquerels of radioactive cesium per kilogram. Though contamination levels were below the then-government imposed allowable limit for foods, the company abandoned production to avoid the spread of harmful rumors.
The firm purchased separate mushroom logs, but failed to meet its production schedule, eventually losing much of its anticipated profit. The firm will sue TEPCO for approximately 67 million yen in compensation for the losses.
Meanwhile, the Kamikatsu Municipal Government, which extended assistance to the company in various ways, including subsidies to cover the purchase of the additional logs, will demand compensation of approximately 34 million yen from TEPCO.
"Kamikatsu Bio is a major employer of local people. Since residents' taxes have been used in this incident, we would like to demand compensation from TEPCO," an official with the municipal government said.
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