» Prosecutor dismissed a case against former executives of TEPCO again

2015/01/23

The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor’s Office dismissed a case against three former senior executives of Tokyo Electric Power Co. again over their alleged negligence for failing to prevent the March 2011 tsunami-triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

The prosecutor’s office cited a lack of sufficient evidence following its six-month reinvestigation, which was conducted after a prosecution inquest panel ruled last July that the three should be charged with professional negligence leading to death and injury.

The three are former Tepco Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata, 74, and former Executive Vice President Sakae Muto, 64, and Ichiro Takekuro, 68.

The inquest panel, made up of members of the public, was called upon after the prosecutor’s office’s first decision against their indictment in 2013.

Despite the latest decision by prosecutors, however, the three could still be indicted forcibly by court-appointed lawyers acting as prosecutors if the inquest panel seeks indictments for a second time. If indicted, it will be the first time anyone has been tried for a crime related to the nuclear disaster.

In the second investigation, the prosecutor’s office carried out fresh interviews with nuclear engineering, earthquake and tsunami experts in order to determine whether the former executives could have assumed the tsunami risk and taken countermeasures.
<Media Report>
Three Tepco execs again avoid indictment over meltdown disaster(JAPAN TIMES)

Tags:anti-nuclear movement, citizens' movement, compensation, news

• Evacuation orders lifted in 3 municipalities today, one more tomorrow

• Court issues injunction to halt Takahama nuclear reactors

• Anti-nuclear group of India submitted a letter to the Japanese Government to oppose Japan-India nuclear agreement

• World Nuclear Victims Forum in Hiroshima closed with “Hiroshima Declaration”