Criminal probes of TEPCO to start soon

September 29, 2012

Criminal probes planned

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120929a8.html

JIJI

Prosecutors will start full criminal probes over last year's accident at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station, informed sources said.

Starting in early October, prosecutors will be gathered from various district offices to launch full-scale investigations, the sources said Thursday, adding that materials for the probes have already been submitted voluntarily by some parties.

Prosecutors are expected to start interviews with Tepco executives and others soon. They are expected to decide by March on whether to file criminal charges.

In August, four district prosecutors' offices received criminal complaints over the nuclear accident triggered by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Complaints received by the Kanazawa and Nagoya district offices will be transferred to the Tokyo office. Investigations over the nuclear crisis will be covered by the Tokyo and Fukushima offices.

In these complaints, Tepco executives and government officials are accused of causing injury to people who lived near the stricken nuclear plant through professional negligence.

Tepco and government officials failed to take enough precautionary steps against huge earthquakes and tsunami, and failed to make appropriate responses to the crisis, according to the complaints.