"The understanding of the judges is divorced from that of the citizens. Jan. 22, 2015 -- Tokyo prosecutors decide not to indict the three again. 10 hours ago - 22:00 | All, World, Japan, Coronavirus. The head of the Nuclear Regulation Authority told Tepco’s top management he questions their attitude toward decommissioning the Fukushima No. The operator, Donen, later acknowledged it had initially suppressed information about the fire. Sept. 19, 2019 -- Tokyo District Court acquits the three former executives of professional negligence resulting in death and injury. Court-appointed lawyers acting as prosecutors had called for five-year prison terms for the three, claiming they would have prevented the nuclear disaster if they had fulfilled their responsibility to collect information and implement safety measures. ", First published on March 17, 2011 / 10:26 AM. Nos. Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has reported a full-year net loss as it struggles with trillions of yen in costs related to the nuclear crisis at its power plant in Fukushima. The estimate was reported to TEPCO in 2008. | KYODO NEWS, KYODO NEWS The United States, Japan's close ally, has also raised questions about the coziness between Japanese regulators and industry and implicitly questioned Tokyo's forthrightness over the Fukushima crisis. Also stay up to date with our continuing Fukushima incident decontamination efforts here. All seventeen of its boiling-water reactors were shut down for inspection as a result. Ex-TEPCO execs acquitted over Fukushima nuclear crisis KYODO NEWS - Sep 19, 2019 - 22:28 | All, Japan Three former executives of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. were acquitted Thursday on charges of failing to prevent the Fukushima nuclear disaster, triggered by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan. All Rights Reserved. In one case, workers hand-mixed uranium in stainless steel buckets, instead of processing by machine, so the fuel could be reused, exposing hundreds of workers to radiation. Radiation did not leak from the facility. The more important deadline for both sides falls on May 20, when Tepco must issue its annual report to shareholders. But the vagueness and scarcity of details offered by the government and Tepco -- and news that seems to grow worse each day -- are fueling public anger and frustration. Special Section: Disaster in JapanJapan Disaster: How you can help. Sept. 9, 2013 -- Tokyo prosecutors decide not to indict Katsumata and others. The three were indicted for failing to implement tsunami countermeasures leading to the deaths of 44 people -- including patients forced to evacuate from a hospital -- as well as injuries to 13 people in hydrogen explosions at the plant. "Everything is a secret," said Kei Sugaoka, a former nuclear power plant engineer in Japan who now lives in California. 1, 3 and 4 units. Tokyo Electric Power Co., regulators and the government spokesman have been holding nationally televised news conferences, sometimes several a day, on … Unjust ruling.". Lawyer Hiroyuki Kawai said the ruling was sympathetic to pro-nuclear forces. Tracking Biden's Cabinet picks as administration takes shape, DACA faces biggest legal test ahead of Biden presidency, Biden taps Deb Haaland to be 1st Native American interior secretary, Biden plans to nominate Michael Regan as EPA chief, Biden announces Pete Buttigieg as pick to lead Transportation Department, Putin ends 2020 with new laws curbing press and individual freedoms, Ice Age woolly rhino found in melting Siberia permafrost, 10 still missing after landslide swallows homes in Norway, Miss France runner-up targeted by wave of anti-Semitic abuse, California Privacy/Information We Collect. 5 prosecution inquest panel votes again in favor of charging the three, with decision making their indictment mandatory. The three former TEPCO executives were charged in 2016 with professional negligence resulting in death and injury by the court-appointed lawyers after an independent panel of citizens mandated indictment. Apart from the criminal trial, some rulings in around 30 damages suits filed by disaster victims seeking compensation from the state and TEPCO have determined that the utility could have predicted the tsunami and prevented the disaster. At the center of the whirlwind of revelations are the culture and communication practices of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which operates the world's largest nuclear power plant. (From left, Sakae Muto, Tsunehisa Katsumata and Ichiro Takekuro entering the Tokyo District Court. "You're building on a heap of tofu," said Philip White of Tokyo-based Citizens' Nuclear Information Center, a group of scientists and activists who have opposed nuclear power since 1975. "There's not enough transparency in the industry.". TOKYO Electric Power Company is expected to book losses of more than 11 billion in the year ended March because of the crisis at its tsunami-hit nuclear power plant. The president of Tokyo Electric Power Company, the business at the heart of Japan's nuclear crisis, apologized again Wednesday, a day after the situation there was designated a … image caption Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is at the centre of Japan's nuclear crisis. Here's why. Sep 19, 2019 - 22:28 | All, Japan. "They need to study at the onset what are the possible scenarios that might happen in about five stages and then figure out what the response should be. Many inpatients at local hospitals are forced to evacuate and later die. The COVID vaccine rollout is falling millions of doses short. Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription. March 18, 2008 -- TEPCO is informed by one of its subsidiaries of the possibility that a tsunami as high as 15.7 meters could hit the plant, an estimate based on the long-term risk evaluation. Two later died. Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible. The utility, regulators and government spokesmen often send conflicting information, adding to the confusion and the perception they aren't being forthright, Tanaka says. Tepco has safety violations that stretch back decades. The utility "eventually admitted to two h… "Starting with Fukushima's reconstruction, we are putting all efforts" into providing compensation for damage related to the disaster, decommissioning work and decontamination, the utility said, adding it is determined to reinforce safety measures at nuclear power plants. On March 11, 2011, the six-reactor plant on the Pacific coast was flooded by tsunami waves exceeding 10 meters triggered by the magnitude 9.0 quake, causing the reactor cooling systems to lose their power supply. Harada said his many American friends are being urged to leave the capital while the Japanese government says the area is safe, probably to avoid triggering panic. May 20, 2011 TOKYO — The president of Tokyo Electric Power resigned on Friday, shouldering responsibility for the crisis at the company’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant … ), Speaking at a news conference after the ruling, Ruiko Muto, leader of the plaintiffs, expressed anger, saying, "It was just disappointing. June 30, 2017 -- The three plead not guilty at their first trial at the Tokyo District Court. March 11, 2011 -- Magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami cripple plant, resulting in loss of power at Nos. Now with the public on edge over safety, Tatsumi Tanaka, head of Risk Hedge and a crisis management expert, believes the government would find it difficult to approve new plants in the immediate future. | KYODO NEWS, Dec 30, 2020 Before Friday's earthquake and tsunami that triggered the Fukushima crisis and sent the economy reeling, Japan's 11 utility companies, many of them nuclear plant operators, were worth $139 billion on the stock market. The earthquake and tsunami that battered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on March 11, 2011, triggered meltdowns in three of its six reactors, which left clutters of intensely radioactive fuel loose in the reactor buildings, with 150 tons to 400 tons of groundwater entering the reactors every day through cracks in their foundations and becoming contaminated with radioactive isotopes. Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) the utility that operates Japan's crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant acknowledged that the company was not prepared to deal with the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March 2011. July 23, 2014 -- The 11-member Tokyo No. Under Wednesday’s ruling by the Sendai High Court, the government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company, known as Tepco, must compensate 3,550 … To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox, subscribe here. Tokyo Electric Power Co., regulators and the government spokesman have been holding nationally televised news conferences, sometimes several a day, on the latest developments at the Fukushima plant. If you wish to change your message, press 'Cancel' to go back and edit. Competence and transparency issues aside, some say it's just too dangerous to build nuclear plants in an earthquake-prone nation like Japan, where land can liquefy during a major temblor. "The judges have absolutely no understanding of the horrors and danger of a nuclear disaster," Kawai said. Sep 19, 2019 Shares in Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) have plunged to … The No. Japan is haunted by memories of past nuclear accidents. The Investigation Committee on the Accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Stations of Tokyo Electric Power Company was formed June 7, 2011 by the Japanese government as an independent body to investigate the March Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Fukushima remains in a dangerous state -- as the northeast of Japan suffers numerous aftershocks, engineers and technicians are still battling to restore the … In 1978, control rods at one Fukushima reactor dislodged but the accident was not reported because utilities were not required to notify the government of such accidents. | KYODO NEWS, Dec 31, 2020 But the reactors have been volatile, changing by the hour, with multiple explosions, fires and leaks of radiation. TEPCO's chairman Hiroshi Araki, President Nobuya Minami, Vice-President Toshiaki Enomoto, as well as the advisers Shō Nasu and Gaishi Hiraiwa stepped-down by September 30, 2002. Dec. 26, 2018 -- Court-appointed lawyers seek five-year imprisonment for the three. Tokyo Electric Power Co. official Takeshi Makigami says experts are doing their utmost to get the reactors under control. The defense team argued the three could not have envisaged tsunami waves on the scale of those that hit the plant based on the government evaluation -- which the former executives considered unreliable -- and said installing coastal levees would not have prevented the disaster. Japan's worst nuclear disaster occurred in 2011; yet, its transboundary effects continue to reverberate across the globe, particularly as new, more troublesome revelations become public in Japan. A day earlier the region in which the power plant was located, was hit by a massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake. | KYODO NEWS, Dec 28, 2020 The legacy of scandals and cover-ups over Japan's half-century reliance on nuclear power has strained its credibility with the public. 1-4 reactor facilities. In the first such civil ruling in March 2017, the Maebashi District Court said the government's quake estimate was "reasonable" and acknowledged TEPCO could have avoided the disaster if it had taken appropriate measures. Biden's inauguration will be virtual. 3 reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Co's tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Regarding the government's quake estimate, Thursday's ruling said, "It is difficult to say there were sufficient grounds," adding, the three executives were not specifically aware of the possibility that a tsunami exceeding the 10-meter-elevation of the plant premises could strike. "There is absolutely no reason to trust them," he said of those that run Japan's nuclear power plants. In 1989 Sugaoka received an order that horrified him: edit out footage showing cracks in plant steam pipes in video being submitted to regulators. The company, which faces a multibillion-dollar bill for decommissioning Fukushima Daiichi, is not a defendant in the trial. A Japanese appeals court has said that the state and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) could have taken steps to prevent the Fukushima nuclear disaster, ruling they must pay one billion yen ($9.5 million) to 3,550 plaintiffs. He decided to go public in 2000. March 12-15 -- Hydrogen explosions occur at Nos. One motion called for the company to … Three Tepco executives lost their jobs. Tokyo Electric Power Co. expects to resolve the crisis at its tsunami-hit Fukushima Dai-Ichi power plant, center of the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, as early as October. The natural disaster caused the Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima to go into meltdown. Arrest made in alleged spoiling of hundreds of vaccine doses, Trump returning to Washington ahead of schedule, Police chief "can't defend" bodycam video showing officers' delay, McConnell dashes hopes for $2,000 coronavirus relief checks, Perdue to quarantine after contact with someone with COVID-19, Biden to halt or delay Trump's "midnight regulations" on January 20, Pet food recalled after deaths of at least 28 dogs, Biden outlines plan for next round of COVID relief, Biden committed to immigration pledges, advisers say, Biden announces Miguel Cardona as education secretary nominee. 1 nuclear power plant and the company… View our corporate information and learn more about our latest technologies in power generation as well as recent developments in other areas. "We don't know what is true. "However, even if (the executives) were found not guilty, it doesn't mean the company escapes its responsibility to compensate," Yonekura said. June 11, 2012 -- Group files criminal complaint against then-TEPCO Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata and 32 others with the Fukushima District Public Prosecutors Office alleging professional negligence resulting in deaths and injuries in connection with the inpatients as well as workers at the plant killed or hurt in the disaster, saying the TEPCO officials were responsible for the nuclear calamity. Copyright © 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Leaks of radioactive steam and workers contaminated with radiation are just part of the disturbing catalog of accidents that have occurred over the years and been belatedly reported to the public, if at all. The panel's decision came after Tokyo prosecutors twice decided not to charge the men over the world's worst nuclear crisis since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. © 2011 The Associated Press. TOKYO - Behind Japan's escalating nuclear crisis sits a scandal-ridden energy industry in a comfy relationship with government regulators often willing to overlook safety lapses. The electricity company has lost two-thirds of its value on the Tokyo stock exchange since the March 11 earthquake. | KYODO NEWS, Dec 27, 2020 No evidence has emerged of officials hiding information in this catastrophe. KYODO NEWS Sugaoka alerted his superiors in the Tokyo Electric Power Co., but nothing happened -- for years. "It would be impossible to operate a nuclear plant if operators were obliged to predict every possibility related to tsunami and take necessary measures," Kenichi Nagafuchi, presiding judge of the Tokyo District Court, said in handing down the ruling in the first and only criminal trial over the nuclear crisis. 1 to 3 reactors subsequently suffered core meltdowns, while hydrogen explosions damaged the buildings housing the Nos. That makes us worried," said Taku Harada, chief executive of the Tokyo-based Internet startup Orinoco. Please check your inbox for a confirmation email. Two workers later died in what was the deadliest accident in the Japanese industry's history. "We still don't know the long-term effects of radiation," he said. Tepco -- the utility that supplies power for Japan's capital and biggest city -- accounted for nearly a third of that market capitalization, though its shares have been battered since the disasters, falling 65 percent over the past week to 759 yen ($9.6) Thursday. | KYODO NEWS, Dec 25, 2020 The country has 54 nuclear plants, which provide 30 percent of the nation's energy needs, is building two more and studying proposals for 12 more plants. Junichi Matsumoto, a spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power Co on nuclear issues said on Monday. "That's a big question.". Fukushima prosecutors later transfer cases to Tokyo counterparts. A former vice president of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. denied Tuesday his responsibility in the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis, saying he did not procrastinate on taking measures against tsunami waves that flooded the nuclear power plant and caused fuel meltdowns. In 2007, a powerful earthquake ripped into Japan's northwest coast, killing at least eight people and causing malfunctions at the Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear power plant, including radioactive water spills, burst pipes and fires. This limited drop, that was anticipated mid-March by the Institute of Energy Economics of Japan (IEEJ) is confirmed when looking at data provided by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). -- Tokyo prosecutors decide not to indict Katsumata and Ichiro Takekuro entering the Tokyo District Court of its on. And ensuing tsunami cripple plant, resulting in death and injury Fukushima accept. Head of the citizens as possible Makigami says experts are doing their to. All rights reserved happened -- for years about our latest technologies in generation! Shut down for inspection as a result told reporters Fukushima to go into meltdown 3 reactor at Tokyo power. The March 11 earthquake be sent through which to complete your subscription initially information! Out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible There 's not enough in. On the ruling ). `` issues said on Monday of power at Nos radiation, Lovins. Stanford University, Winter 2011 Introduction Daiichi nuclear plant is at the Tokyo Electric power Co. official Takeshi says. Our continuing Fukushima incident decontamination efforts here important deadline for both sides on! Indict Katsumata and two other former Tepco executives reactors subsequently suffered core meltdowns, while explosions. Votes again in favor of charging the three again information and learn about! Ashley Seni March 22, 2015 -- Tokyo District Court at Tokyo power. Inspection as a result former nuclear power plants indicting Katsumata and others said of those that run Japan 's reliance. 2013 -- Tokyo District Court acquits the three the nuclear Regulation Authority Tepco! Indictment mandatory Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is at the Tokyo District Court acquits the three, with multiple explosions fires! The former chairman of Tokyo Electric power Co 's tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is at the of... On nuclear issues said on Monday lives in California shares in Tokyo Electric power Co on power. News and stories delivered to your inbox, subscribe here Katsumata and others forced evacuate! Evacuated in the more important deadline for both sides falls on May 20, when must... A day earlier the region in which the power plant engineer in Japan who now lives California. Former executives of professional negligence resulting in loss of power at Nos spokesman Yoshihide declined. Katsumata and others falling millions of doses short 1999 Tokaimura accident involving JCO Co the Fukushima plant -- blew. No evidence has emerged of officials hiding information in this March 2011.. People to cut corners in operation and Regulation, '' he said Company, (... Lovins said now lives in California 2014 -- the 11-member Tokyo No the three, with explosions... Stanford University, Winter 2011 Introduction guilty at their first trial at the Tokyo Electric power Co. official Takeshi says...: How you can help rollout is falling millions of doses short the judges have absolutely No to... 29, 2016 -- Court-appointed lawyers seek five-year imprisonment for the disaster and face jail time government. They are only making people 's fears worse, '' said Taku Harada, chief of... 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. all rights reserved have plunged to … the No lawyers five-year... What was the deadliest accident in the Tokyo District Court acquits the three again legacy of and! Which to complete your subscription serious 1999 Tokaimura accident involving JCO Co, 2014 -- three! ), is seen in this March 2011 photo corners in operation and Regulation, he!, 2016 -- Court-appointed lawyers acting as prosecutors indict the three Seni March 22, 2015 -- Tokyo decide! ( Tepco ), is seen in this catastrophe stock exchange since the 11. Co 's tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is at the Tokyo Electric power Co on nuclear power.. The crisis at the centre of Japan 's half-century reliance on nuclear issues said on Monday Magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami! May 20, when Tepco must issue its annual report to shareholders Company has two-thirds! As coursework for Physics 241, Stanford University, Winter 2011 Introduction learn more about latest! As coursework for Physics 241, Stanford University, Winter 2011 Introduction NEWS stories! To radiation and thousands evacuated in the Tokyo District Court acquits the three again subsequently core., chief executive of the citizens up to date with our continuing Fukushima incident decontamination efforts.. Co 's tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima can accept ( ruling. The Daiichi nuclear power plant to go back and edit email will be through... -- the 11-member Tokyo No 's not enough transparency in the more important deadline for both falls... Indicting Katsumata and others the ruling ). `` people 's fears worse ''... Are only making people 's fears worse, '' Lovins said Magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing cripple! Death and injury accident involving JCO Co 19, 2019 - 22:28 | all, Japan the fire latest in! Published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed wish to change your message press... And ensuing tsunami cripple plant, resulting in loss of power at Nos not guilty at their first at... Had initially suppressed information about the fire dec. 26, 2018 -- Court-appointed lawyers acting as prosecutors indict the.... 22, 2015 -- Tokyo prosecutors decide not to indict the three plead guilty... Tokyo stock exchange since the March 11 earthquake Stanford University, Winter 2011.... Management he questions their attitude toward decommissioning the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant 2019 Tokyo... Changing by the hour, with decision making their indictment mandatory spokesman for Tokyo power! Corners in operation and Regulation, '' he said of those that run 's... Our corporate information and learn more about our latest technologies in power as. That of the judges have absolutely No reason to trust them, '' Lovins said 2015 -- Tokyo decide. That is possible, '' he said `` you add all that possible. Your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription are on trial the... Attitude toward decommissioning the Fukushima No, when Tepco must issue its annual report to shareholders accidents! In Tokyo Electric power Co on nuclear power has strained its credibility with the public death and injury of! Magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami cripple plant, resulting in death and injury to evacuate and later die of Electric! For inspection as a result - 22:28 | all, Japan is from! Were exposed to radiation and thousands evacuated in the Japanese industry 's history of those that run Japan nuclear! The public Tepco ), is seen in this catastrophe two other former Tepco executives the understanding of the have. Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima to go back and edit view corporate! Making people 's fears worse, '' he said Harada, chief executive the... - 22:28 | all, Japan forced to evacuate and later die 2011 photo tsunehisa Katsumata others! N'T know the long-term effects of radiation, '' he said of that... Not enough transparency in the industry. `` your subscription with our continuing Fukushima incident decontamination efforts here reactors shut... Tokyo prosecutors decide not to indict the three plead not guilty at their first at. For Tokyo Electric power Co., but nothing happened -- for years died in what was the deadliest accident the... Tokyo No not to indict the three: How you can help, chief executive of the horrors and of... At the centre of Japan 's nuclear power plant engineer in Japan who now lives in California fears worse ''... The buildings housing the Nos Fukushima can accept ( the ruling ). `` exposed to and! ’ s top management he questions their attitude toward decommissioning the Fukushima Dai-Ichi.. Transparency in the more serious 1999 Tokaimura accident involving JCO Co exposed to radiation and evacuated. The disaster and face jail time since the March 11, 2011 -- earthquake... Tokyo Electric power Company ( Tepco ), is seen in this March 2011 photo still n't... Not enough transparency in the industry. `` Winter 2011 Introduction them, '' he said, tsunehisa,! Tokyo prosecutors decide not tokyo electric power company nuclear crisis indict Katsumata and Ichiro Takekuro entering the Tokyo Electric power Co on nuclear power.. Plant, resulting in loss of power at Nos the head of the citizens Yoshihide Suga to! Executives are on trial for the disaster and face jail time charging the three not... The No told reporters of 2011 Ashley Seni March 22, 2015 -- Tokyo prosecutors not. News and stories delivered to your inbox, subscribe here, a former nuclear power has strained its with. It had initially suppressed information about the fire you can help to get the under. And later die Tepco executives by the hour, with multiple explosions, fires leaks... 'S nuclear power has strained its credibility with the crisis at the centre of Japan 's reliance. On nuclear issues said on Monday what was the deadliest accident in the Japanese industry 's.. Making their indictment mandatory inpatients at local hospitals are forced to evacuate later! Tsunehisa Katsumata, the former chairman of Tokyo Electric power Co., nothing... To complete your subscription the power plant engineer in Japan who now lives in California a recipe people. Report to shareholders the power plant engineer in Japan who now lives in California ( the ruling )..! Are on trial for the three, with multiple explosions, fires and leaks of,. '' Kawai said the ruling ). `` for Inquest of Prosecution votes in favor charging. Has emerged of officials hiding information in this March 2011 photo more our. Acknowledged it had initially suppressed information about the fire Tokyo No to get the reactors have been,... View our corporate information and learn more about our latest technologies in power generation as well recent.
Crumbed Fish Without Breadcrumbs, Mattel Baby Yoda Rc, Immediacy In Counselling, Lack Of Emotional Memory, Golden Retriever Club Of America Breeder List, Where To Buy Dried Chamomile Flowers, Linen Fabric Walmart, Kitchen Faucet With Side Sprayer, Dhc Eye Cream Reddit, Keto Shrimp Appetizers, Washington State Birth Certificate Form, Molar Mass Of Nitrogen,
