Criminal Negligence Charges Result From Citizens Committees in Japan – Why Not Here?
March, 2016
Dear Care for Crash Victims Community Members:
Perhaps the power of an idea whose time has come can be applied in the U.S.A. to fight criminal corruption.
The NY Times reports:
“TOKYO — Japanese prosecutors indicted three former executives of the Tokyo Electric Power Company, the owner of the ruined Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, on Monday, charging them with criminal negligence for their role in reactor meltdowns after an earthquake and tsunami five years ago…. Prosecutors initially declined to bring charges in the case. They said there was not enough evidence that failings by Tepco or its leaders had amounted to criminal wrongdoing. But their decision angered Fukushima residents and antinuclear campaigners, who formed the organization led by Ms. Muto, the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Plaintiffs Group, to demand a review.
A rarely used feature of Japanese law allows committees of private citizens to examine prosecutors’ decisions on whether to indict suspects. In certain circumstances, they can order those decisions reversed. Two such committees revived the Fukushima case, and both determined that the Tepco executives should be criminally charged.
In response, prosecutors said last year that they would move forward with the case.”
It is time that people think of themselves as having the power to make change for the better. Nader has an inspiring message for us all to heed.
See article and video at https://blog.nader.org/2016/01/08/12-people-who-made-a-difference-and-you-can-too/
Crash victims have the most direct knowledge of the enormity of the tragic consequences of crashes. Imagine Citizen Committees of Crash Victims.
Let us not wait until it happens again and again. Americans must not wait until it happens to them. As the lyrics of a song say “Till It Happens To You”. See http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/ladygaga/tillithappenstoyou.html
Lou
