Fukushima residents call for criminal charges against nuclear officials

June 12, 2012 by legitgov

Fukushima residents call for criminal charges against nuclear officials 11 Jun 2012 The executives of the Japanese utility that owns the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and a number of the country's government officials should go to jail, according to a complaint filed by more than 1,000 local residents on Monday. A total of 1,324 people lodged the unusual criminal complaint with the Fukushima prosecutor's office, naming Tsunehisa Katsumata, the chairman of Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) and 32 others. The complaint argues that the 33 TEPCO executives and government officials are responsible for causing the nuclear disaster that followed the events on March 11, 2011, and for exposing the people of Fukushima to radiation.