A Japanese appeals court on Thursday upheld a ruling awarding millions of dollars in compensation to families of children swept out to sea by the massive 2011 tsunami, local media said.

In 2016, the Sendai district court ruled two local governments should pay a combined 1.43 billion yen ($13.7 million) to 29 plaintiffs -- parents of 23 children who were killed in the disaster.

The victims, from the public Okawa Elementary School in the city of Ishinomaki, were among a total of 74 children who perished in rising waters after being told to wait for more than 40 minutes in school grounds with teachers, 10 of whom also died.

The plaintiffs argued their children would have survived if they had been evacuated in time.

The local governments appealed the 2016 decision, but on Thursday the Sendai High Court said the lower court ruling was correct, local media reported.

"(The school) should have been able to forecast before the occurrence of the quake that a tsunami would reach the school," broadcaster NHK quoted presiding judge Hiroshi Ogawa as saying.

"The school had an obligation to clarify evacuation areas and evacuation routes in its risk management manual but it failed to do so," he added.

Kyodo news agency said the court increased the compensation awarded in the earlier decision by around 10 million yen.

Hiroyuki Konno, who lost a 12-year-old son and spoke on behalf of the plaintiffs, told NHK he was "thankful that cooperation and support from many people have led to today's ruling".

"I think the fact that organisational responsibility was acknowledged will be useful for future disaster prevention."

"I'm relieved," added another parent, Kazutaka Sato, speaking to NHK.

"The trial was long and there were times I wanted to run away. But we were able to bring our voices to the public thanks to support from many people."

Ishinomaki Mayor Hiroshi Kameyama did not rule out a further appeal.

"After closely reviewing the ruling, I want to consult with our attorneys to decide what to do next," he told local reporters.

A massive undersea quake on March 11, 2011, sent a giant tsunami barrelling into Japan's northeastern coast, leaving about 18,500 people dead or missing, and sending three reactors into meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

It was Japan's worst postwar disaster and the most serious nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Modeling future earthquake and tsunami risk in southeast Japan
Amherst MA (SPX) Apr 03, 2018
Geoscience researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Smith College and the Japanese Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology this week unveiled new, GPS-based methods for modeling earthquake-induced tsunamis for southeast Japan along the Nankai Trough. A Nankai-induced tsunami is likely to hit there in the next few decades, says lead author Hannah Baranes at UMass Amherst, and has the potential to displace four times the number of people affected by the massive Tohoku tsunami o ... read more