TEPCO pays 5.4 billion dollars in compensation

The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says the company has paid nearly 450 billion yen, or about 5.4 billion dollars, to people affected by the nuclear crisis.Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, said on Sunday that compensation paid by March 9th reached 445.5 billion yen.

About 40 percent of individuals who are entitled to apply for compensation have completed the procedures.People affected have criticized TEPCO, saying the application process is complicated and lacks of flexibility in deciding payments. They say the company needs to speed up the payments.

TEPCO President Zengo Aizawa said in a news conference that the company has received complaints accusing it of arrogance and a lack of compassion.Aizawa said that the company is trying to deal with applicants more flexibly by listening to each person's situations and needs.

TEPCO started paying provisional compensation in May to people who were forced to flee their homes near the troubled plant as well as farmers and fishermen affected by the accident.