A citizens' group said Tuesday that it plans to file a criminal complaint with investigative authorities against senior officials of Tokyo Electric Power Co., accusing the utility firm of various misdemeanors in connection with covering up defects at nuclear power plants.
The group told a news conference in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, that it will file the complaint -- the first of its kind against officials of the nation's largest power company -- in mid-December.
It said it will level five charges -- including fraud, destruction of evidence and obstruction of government work -- because the firm prevented the government from properly inspecting its facilities by concealing fractures it found in reactor shrouds.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will not file a complaint against Tepco for violating the Electric Utility Law because the statute of limitations has expired.
The group is planning to file the complaint against a former Tepco vice president and four other executives.
It will also try to attract more people across the country to support the complaint.
Tepco only began reporting the discovery of the faults after it was revealed in August that during the 1980s and 1990s the firm had falsified safety reports and covered up defects found during safety checks at the Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 nuclear plants as well as at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata Prefecture.