TEPCO officials referred to prosecutors over water pollution

October 2, 2015

TEPCO execs sent to prosecutors over contamination

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html

Oct. 2, 2015 - Updated 12:26 UTC+2

Fukushima police have referred former and current officials of Tokyo Electric Power Company to prosecutors over the pollution caused by the 2011 nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

A group of residents filed a criminal complaint 2 years ago against the utility and 32 top officials over the leaks of highly radioactive wastewater from the nuclear plant into the sea.

The group says the company and the executives failed to properly manage storage tanks of contaminated water or build underground walls to block the flow.

Investigators say they have conducted interviews with TEPCO officials and analyzed various materials.

The Fukushima District Prosecutors' Office will determine whether it will lay criminal charges against the company and its officials.

Tokyo Electric Power Company officials declined to make specific comments, but said that they responded to the investigation in an honest manner.

Fukushima police to send toxic water case against TEPCO, execs to prosecutors

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20151002p2a00m0na016000c.html

FUKUSHIMA -- Police here will refer Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) and 32 current and former TEPCO executives to prosecutors in connection with leaks of toxic water into the Pacific in the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, investigative sources say.

The police will send papers on the case to the Fukushima District Public Prosecutors' Office on suspicion TEPCO and the executives violated the environmental pollution offense law.

Among the 32 individuals are TEPCO President Naomi Hirose, former Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata and former President Masataka Shimizu. They are suspected of being negligent in their duties and releasing radioactively contaminated water into the ocean from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant.

An initial criminal complaint accusing TEPCO executives of professional negligence resulting in injury or death was filed jointly by individuals and representatives of a citizens' group. In September 2013, the same complainants filed with the Fukushima police against the TEPCO executives on suspicion of violating the environmental pollution offense law.

The complaint says the central government ordered TEPCO to build underground walls to prevent leaks of contaminated groundwater, but that TEPCO postponed taking the measure, citing costs and other reasons. Furthermore, the complaint accuses TEPCO of using weak water storage tanks resulting in the leak of some 300 metric tons of contaminated water, and of insufficient monitoring measures that led to the delayed discovery of the leak and increasing the volume of water that escaped.