Japan approves Tepco nuclear victims fund

Japan's parliament has approved a plan that would help the Tokyo Electric Power Company, or Tepco, compensate victims of the ongoing Fukushima nuclear crisis, the BBC reported early Tuesday. According to the British broadcaster, Japanese lawmakers passed the plan out of concern that the victims' claims, which could exceed $100 billion, could end up bankrupting Tepco, which supplies electricity to the greater Tokyo area. The plan calls for the government to make an initial contribution of $26 billion to the fund, with Japan's other nuclear power companies also making annual contributions. In exchange, Tepco has reportedly agreed to restructure its operations.