Katsumata Tsunehisa, president of Tokyo Electric Power Company during the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster, has passed away. He was 84 years old.

Katsumata took over as chairman in 2002 after senior executives resigned over concealment of problems at the firm’s reactors.

He became president with representation in 2008 and helped bring the Fukushima plant under control after the accident. He left his post in June 2012, when the government technically took over the company.

Katsumata, along with two former vice presidents, was indicted in 2016 for professional negligence resulting in death and injury.

However, last year the Tokyo District Court found the three men not guilty. The decision stated that it was impossible to predict the huge tsunami and that the company could not be held responsible for not closing the facility.

Lawyers appointed by the court and acting as prosecutors objected to the decision in the Supreme Court.

In a civil lawsuit filed by TEPCO shareholders, the Tokyo District Court ordered in 2022 that four former TEPCO executives, including Katsumata, pay more than 13 trillion yen in damages.

After both managers and shareholders objected to the decision, the case went to the Tokyo High Court.

TEPCO says Katsumata died on October 21.