Prosecutors appeal TEPCO acquittal in Fukushima case

Prosecutors in the only criminal trial involving the 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown has appealed against the acquittal of three former Tokyo Electric Power Co. executives.

The Tokyo District Court on Sept. 19 found ex-TEPCO chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata and two others not guilty of professional negligence in the disaster and the death of 44 elderly patients who were forcibly evacuated from local hospitals.

The court said a tsunami of the size that hit the plant after an earthquake was unpredictable and the executives weren’t required to take preventive measure or to stop the reactors under government safety standards.

Lawyers representing thousands of disaster-hit residents said the prosecution appealed Monday.

The prosecution had demanded five-year prison terms.