March 8, 2025

Japanese Communist Party Policy Commission Chair Yamazoe Taku on March 7 at a press conference in the Diet building criticized the Supreme Court for unjustly acquitting two former Tokyo Electric Power Company executives in regard to the 2011 nuclear meltdown catastrophe at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. He said, “This decision allows no one to take criminal responsibility for the nuclear power plant disaster.”

The two ex-TEPCO vice presidents stood trial in accordance with the decision made by a prosecution inquest panel made up of randomly selected citizens.

The top court ruling issued on March 5 referred to the Fukushima NPP operator’s estimate, which was made based on a long-term national seismic evaluation, that a 15.7-meter tsunami may hit the plant, and stated that there were doubts about the credibility of the evaluation and thus it was inevitable that the ex-TEPCO executives could not foresee the possibility that tsunamis exceeding 10 meters would reach the plant.

Yamazoe stressed, “Operators of nuclear power stations must always fully be alert to the potential for the occurrence of accidents. TEPCO should have explored, assessed, and addressed all possible risk factors when identified.” He said, “The latest court ruling lacks an understanding of the nuclear power generation facility’s particularity that once a major nuclear accident occurs, it will bring about tremendous damage.”

Yamazoe pointed out that in past lawsuits seeking state compensation for Fukushima nuclear damages, the Supreme Court exempted the national government from bearing responsibility for the accident. He said that it is unacceptable for the government to take advantage of the top court’s rulings and move forward with the promotion of nuclear power generation. He added that it should sincerely address the general public’s demand for a zero-nuclear powered Japan.