Tokyo Electric Posts $7.4 Billion Loss 東京電力宣佈損失74億美元

Tokyo Electric Posts $7.4 Billion Loss 
東京電力宣佈損失74億美元
2011-08-16◎陳維真

The operator of the ravaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Tokyo Electric Power, said Tuesday that its losses for the latest quarter amounted to ￥572 billion for the costs of cleaning up after the nuclear disaster and of compensating victims.
遭到重創的福島核一廠營運公司「東京電力」週二表示，為支付核災善後清理費用及受害者理賠，上季虧損金額達到5720億日圓。

Analysts have said that Tokyo Electric could ultimately face trillions of yen in claims after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami wreaked havoc at the plant in northeast Japan, leading to meltdowns at three reactors. Radiation leaks have forced more than 100,000 residents to evacuate the area around the site and have affected industry and agriculture over a wide area.
分析師表示，東電最終可能將支付上兆日圓的賠償金，311強震海嘯摧殘這座位於日本東北的核電廠後，核電廠3座反應爐爐心熔毀。輻射外洩迫使附近10萬多名居民撤離，範圍廣大的農工業也受到波及。

The expected scale of the compensation claims has raised questions about the ability of Tokyo Electric, Japan’s largest utility, to remain a viable company. It is the sole supplier of electricity to almost 20 million homes in and around Tokyo, as well as to businesses in the metropolitan area.
賠償金估計值的規模引發外界疑慮，東電這家全日本最大的公用事業公司，是否還能維持營運。東電是東京都內與近郊2000萬戶居民，以及這個大都會區的公司行號，唯一的電力供應來源。

The company initially suggested that compensation payments might be capped, in line with laws in Japan that can limit claims stemming from accidents caused by natural disasters. But given the public uproar over Tokyo Electric’s handling of the accident, the government has promised that no payout limits will be set. Tokyo Electric has promised to raise at least ￥600 billion by cutting costs and selling assets.
東電原先提議賠償金可設上限，依據日本法律，若是自然災害造成的意外，可對賠償金設限。但由於東電處理方式引發民怨，政府已承諾不會對賠償金設限。東電承諾以減支及拋售資產等方式，籌措至少6000億日圓。

新聞辭典

wreak havoc：片語，傷害、破壞、摧毀。例句：Heavy rain and flooding is continuing to wreak havoc in China’s Sichuan Province. （豪雨和水患持續肆虐中國四川省。）

compensation：名詞，補償、賠償、報償（通常是金錢方面）；亦可作為形容詞使用，如：compensation claim（索賠、賠償要求）。例句：The Riot Act of 1886 allows insurers, or those who do not have insurance coverage, to claim compensation from the police in the event of riots. （1886年制定的暴動法，允許保險公司或未參加保險之人，在遭遇暴動事件時向警方索賠。）

cap：動詞，原是覆蓋之意，例句︰The mountains were capped with snow.（山峰被雪覆蓋。）也可用於為事物（通常是經費、支出）設定限制。例句：The budgets of the City Council budgets will be capped.（市議會的預算將會遭到限制）。