On 11 October, police in Japan arrested six former executives and current employees of JCO on suspicion of negligence resulting in death from the accident at the Tokai Mura uranium processing plant.
Among the arrested are Kenzo Koshijima, head of the plant at the time of the accident, Hiromasa Kato, chief of the production department at the time, and Yutaka Yokokawa, who was exposed to radiation in the accident.
The police claim that the JCO executives and employees in the production department were aware of the possibility of illegal operations causing a serious accident, but did not provide the necessary safety instructions.
