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 The decision is unlikely to lead to a conviction of the former
executives, after prosecutors twice said they would not bring
charges, but means they will be summoned to appear in court to give
evidence.
Tokyo prosecutors in January rejected the panel's judgment that the
three should be charged, citing insufficient evidence. But the 11
unidentified citizens on the panel forced the indictment after a
second vote, which makes an indictment mandatory.
The three are former chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata, 75, and former
executives Sakae Muto, 65, and Ichiro Takekuro, 69.
Citizens' panels, made up of residents selected by lottery, are a
rarely used but high-profile feature of Japan's legal system
introduced after World War Two to curb bureaucratic overreach.
 The panel ruled that the former executives had failed to take
countermeasures to strengthen the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant
despite foreseeing the dangers of a severe nuclear crisis it faced
from tsunamis, according to a copy of the 31-page ruling seen by
Reuters.
The Tokyo Public Prosecutors' office could not be immediately
reached for comment.
An earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 destroyed the plant, 220 km
(130 miles) northeast of Tokyo, sparking triple nuclear meltdowns,
forcing more than 160,000 residents to flee nearby towns and
contaminating water, food and air in the world's worst nuclear
disaster since Chernobyl in 1986.
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Prosecutors declined in 2013 to charge more than 30 Tepco and other
officials who had been accused by residents of ignoring the risks of
natural disasters and failing to respond appropriately to the
crisis.
Prosecutors reopened the case after the citizens' panel ruled last
year that the three former Tepco executives should be charged.
(Editing by Aaron Sheldrick and Nick Macfie)
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