Ex-Fukushima execs to be charged over nuclear accident

The decision comes after prosecutors twice refused to press charges against the men, saying they had insufficient evidence and little chance of conviction.

But the independent panel on Friday ruled - for the second time since the accident - that the executives should be put on trial, compelling prosecutors to press on with the criminal case under Japanese law.

The decision is the latest in a tussle between legal authorities and the public over who should take responsibility for the tsunami-sparked reactor meltdowns that forced tens of thousands from their homes in the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

The trio are former Tokyo Electric Power chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata, then-vice president Sakae Muto and former vice president Ichiro Takekuro.

“The victims have wanted a criminal trial given the anger and grief” over the accident, Ruiko Muto, a campaigner who called for charges, told reporters.

“We feel a sense of achievement that a criminal case will be held to account for an accident that caused such tremendous damage.” The judicial panel is composed of ordinary citizens.