Ex-TEPCO execs plead not guilty in Fukushima case

Mar 13, 2019 | News On Japan

Mar 13, 2019 (NHK) - Three former executives of Tokyo Electric Power Company have pleaded not guilty to professional negligence in connection with the 2011 nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

Former TEPCO Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata and two former vice presidents were indicted on charges of professional negligence resulting in death and injury. All three have denied the charges.

Lawyers for the executives gave their closing argument at the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday.

The lawyers referred to an in-house report that management received three years before the accident. It said massive tsunami waves could hit Fukushima Daiichi, according to calculations based on the government's long-term assessment.

They said the basis for the calculations was unreliable and that it was standard procedure to hand the matter over to the Japan Society of Civil Engineers for further consideration. The defense team denied the executives put off countermeasures, adding that it was impossible for them to foresee and prevent the accident.

The trial, which began in June 2017, ended on Tuesday. The court is expected to deliver its sentence on September 19.

Source: ANNnewsCH

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.