In Japan, began the process against the former management of the company-operator NPP “Fukushima-1”
TOKYO, June 30. /TASS/. Hearings in the case of negligence against the former management of the company-operator “Fukushima-1” Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) began on Friday in Tokyo.
The former Chairman of the company Tsunehisa Katsumata, as well as the two Vice-presidents Ichiro Takekuro and Sakae muto are charged that TEPCO had not taken preventive measures to protect the station from potential tsunami impact.
The main question the answer to which remains to be seen is whether the top management of the facility know that the coast in this area could collapse in a tsunami of approximately 15 meters.
During the investigation managed to establish that in 2008 a subsidiary company, TEPCO prepared an assessment that in the area of NPP possible tsunami up to 15.7 meters.
A few years earlier the prosecutors decided not to press charges in a criminal case against the leadership of TEPCO, since they thought that the accident could not have been prevented even if we had taken protective measures. However, these called for a public group of lawyers appointed by the court.
In this case, a lot of technical details, concerning, for example, specific results of the risk assessment, requirements for construction of protective breakwaters and so on. As expected, the decision will be made until next year.
The accident at the NPP “Fukushima-1” occurred in March 2011, when the tsunami hit the station has failed the power supply systems and cooling. As a result, three reactors have been melting of the fuel that burned through the protective housing of the reactor. Vast areas in Japan have been contaminated with radioactive substances from the station had to be evacuated tens of thousands of people.