Zero Accountability: Japanese prosecutors drop nuclear meltdown charges against TEPCO and government

(http://news.yahoo.com) After the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami crippled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, an independent investigative committee set up by the government concluded that the massive release of radiation from reactor meltdowns was a "man-made disaster" that resulted from issues in the country's corporate culture.

Tens of thousands of Japanese people are unable to return to their homes due to radioactive contamination; there lives have basically been destroyed. Seeking compensation, assistance and someone to take responsibility for the disaster, many have filed lawsuits against TEPCO and the Japanese government for negligence regarding the safety and operation of the nuclear plant. However, prosecutors are now disregarding the earlier independent investigation and have dropped all charges against TEPCO and the Japanese government, leaving no one accountable for the more than 80,000 residents who are unable to return home.

Hundreds rallied in Tokyo to protest the prosecutors' decision. Ruiko Muto, a chief rally organizer at the protest, said, "We are determined to keep telling our experiences as victims to pursue the truth of the accident, and we want to avoid a repeat of the accident in the future."