Former TEPCO Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata Dies at 84

Tsunehisa Katsumata, former chairman of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), died on October 21 at the age of 84. He led TEPCO during the catastrophic Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, which resulted in the evacuation of approximately 160,000 people following a major earthquake and tsunami. Katsumata faced criticism for his management of the crisis and was implicated in legal proceedings for professional negligence related to the disaster, although he was acquitted by courts in 2019 and 2023. Despite these rulings, appeals are ongoing, and he was also ordered to pay significant damages in a civil lawsuit. His death comes as the legal battles associated with the Fukushima disaster continue, with various lawsuits still pending. Katsumata's legacy includes both the emergency response to the nuclear crisis and the controversies surrounding TEPCO's management practices.