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No charges over initial disaster at Fukushima
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Japanese prosecutors yesterday decided not to charge former prime minister Naoto Kan and TEPCO bosses over the initial stages of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima.
The decision still leaves open the possibility they will face criminal charges over other aspects of the disaster, including recent leaks of contaminated water from the crippled power plant.
Residents and activists had filed a criminal complaint against Kan and his ministers alleging professional negligence.
They had also requested prosecutors charge former top executives of Tokyo Electric Power, the operator of the plant, and Haruki Madarame, former chief of the Nuclear Safety Commission.
The complaint alleged the government officials and TEPCO executives failed to take necessary measures to shield the plant against the March 2011 tsunami.
It also held them responsible for a delay in announcing data predicting how radiation would spread from the facility after the accident.
But prosecutors decided to exempt all of them, saying in a statement TEPCO could not predict an earthquake and tsunami of that size, while government officials were not legally responsible over their post-quake response.
Campaigners can appeal against the decision at court, which has the power to order the defendants be tried. Activists have said they intend to follow this route.
TEPCO is still struggling to stop radioactive water leaking into the ocean.
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