A five-year jail term was sought for three former executives atthe company operating Japan’s Fukushimanuclear plant, media reported Wednesday, the only people to face criminal charges over the 2011 meltdowns. Former chairman of Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) Tsunehisa Katsumata and former vice presidents Sakae Muto and Ichiro Takekuro are charged with professional negligence resulting in death and injury, and have pleaded not guilty. They are the only charges to have stemmed from the tsunami-sparked reactor meltdowns at the plant that set off the worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl in 1986. Attorneys, who are exceptionally acting as prosecutors in the trial, said the three executives were aware of data indicating the nuclear plant risked being hit by a tsunami with waves exceeding 15 metres (52 feet) — enough to trigger power loss and cause severe accidents.
France24 26th Dec 2018 read more »
