Three former utility firm bosses have been charged with negligence over the Fukushima nuclear disaster - the first ones from the company to face a criminal trial.

A group of court-appointed lawyers have indicted Tsunehisa Katsumata, the then chairman of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), along with two other ex-executives.

The three men are charged with professional negligence, according to broadcaster NHK.

The indictment follows a decision by an 11-member judicial committee in July to send the three men to criminal court after prosecutors dropped the case.

Three reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant damaged in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami suffered meltdowns, triggering massive radiation leaks that forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate.