Former Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has claimed that he cannot be held criminally responsible for the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, as he had given timely permission to the Tokyo Electric Power Co.(Tepco) for the venting of reactors.
Kan's statement came in the wake of resident groups filing complaints to put pressure on the government to levy criminal charges against 40 people, including Kan and members of his Cabinet, for alleged professional negligence that led to the 2011 meltdown.
Kan and two of his ministers have been accused of failing to order Tepco to vent the reactors at Fukushima's No. 1 nuclear plant to lessen their internal pressure before hydrogen explosions injured workers.
The Japan Times reports that part from Kan, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Banri Kaieda and former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano are also in the public dock for their alleged illegal activities during that time.
Prosecutors said that based on the testimony of tsunami experts, the government and Tepco could not have expected such a large tsunami due to lack of unified knowledge on the potential height of the waves.