TOKYO: A trio of former executives from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant will be indicted over the 2011 accident, a judicial review panel decided on Friday, paving the way for the first criminal trial linked to the disaster.

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.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play