Arab News Japan

TOKYO: A petition that has garnered more than 12,140 signatures nationwide calling for the prosecution of three former Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) directors has been submitted to the Tokyo court.

Citizens of Fukushima testified regarding the failure of the court to convict the TEPCO executives, who were blamed for failure to take appropriate security measures to prevent a disaster.

Lawyer Yuichi Kaido hopes that the current proceedings will have better luck in June, when the decision is expected. The lawyers for the plaintiffs submitted a 370-page report detailing all the breaches of safety rules at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, including the decision not to build adequate defenses against tsunami.

Ruiko Muto, one of the plaintiffs’ representatives, spoke of problems such as the increase in thyroid cancers among children and young adults, and the discharge of polluted water into the ocean.

On Friday, citizens and consumer organizations from Fukushima Prefecture staged a demonstration in front of TEPCO’s headquarters against the discharge of polluted water into the Pacific Ocean.

Complaints to Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission were submitted before the protesters gathered in front of the headquarters of TEPCO. A delegation of citizens was received by officials from TEPCO. 

The Fukushima delegation said they had three main complaints.

First is a halt to the construction of the conduit that will carry the filtered water into the ocean. Construction is set to start in June.

The second point calls for the disclosure of the impact of radiation on the seabed and living organisms.

The third point wants alternative solutions to the current filtering technique.