Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) has announced the passing of its former chairperson, Tsunehisa Katsumata, at the age of 84 on October 21. The company did not disclose any specifics regarding the circumstances of his death.
Katsumata was leading TEPCO during the catastrophic events of March 2011, when a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck Japan, leading to severe meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Following the resignation of the company’s then-president due to health issues, Katsumata assumed the role and managed the emergency response until mid-2012.
In the aftermath of the disaster, Katsumata found himself embroiled in both criminal and civil lawsuits that scrutinized TEPCO’s management for allegedly failing to prepare for such a natural disaster. Nearly 6,000 residents from Fukushima filed a criminal complaint in 2012 against various former executives of TEPCO, accusing them, including Katsumata, of professional negligence that contributed to the deaths of over 40 elderly patients during the chaotic evacuation processes following the meltdown. This incident released significant amounts of radioactive material into the environment.
Although prosecutors initially dropped the case, Katsumata and two other former executives were indicted in 2016 through a citizens’ inquest, marking the only criminal proceedings linked to the Fukushima disaster. During the trial, Katsumata and his co-defendants maintained their innocence, arguing that forecasting the tsunami was beyond the realm of possibility, and they were acquitted by both district and high court judges. However, the Supreme Court is currently reviewing the case.
Additionally, Katsumata was involved in a civil trial initiated by a faction of TEPCO shareholders, which resulted in a Tokyo District Court ruling in 2022 that compelled him and three other former executives to pay damages exceeding 13 trillion yen, roughly $85 trillion. This civil case is still ongoing at the Tokyo High Court.
Katsumata led TEPCO from 2002 to 2008, and he played a significant role in addressing damage control and enhancing corporate governance after a previous data falsification scandal involving the utility. His career at TEPCO began in 1963.
Katsumata was also a prominent figure within Japanese industry, holding influential positions in various business organizations, such as Keidanren, which gave him notable sway over political and industrial matters in Japan.
Over 13 years after the Fukushima incident, efforts to decommission the affected plant continue, a complex process that remains in its early phases. Recently, TEPCO has faced challenges in retrieving the first small sample of melted fuel debris from one of the impacted reactors utilizing remote-operated technology. Successfully obtaining this sample would represent a significant step forward, aiding in research on the melted fuel and facilitating the eventual removal of approximately 880 tons of melted fuel debris still trapped within the reactors.