FUKUSHIMA: Japanese Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru visited Fukushima Prefecture on Saturday to inspect facilities including Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s disaster-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.

The visit is apparently intended to demonstrate his administration’s focus on revitalizing the Tohoku northeastern Japan region, including Fukushima, which was hit hard by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

It is the first time for Ishiba to visit the meltdown-hit Fukushima No. 1 plant since he took office in early October. The power station was heavily damaged by the 2011 disaster. Ishiba is slated to receive an explanation from TEPCO officials about progress in work to decommission the power plant.

In the town of Futaba, Ishiba visited a so-called difficult-to-return zone set up after the nuclear accident and inspected sites including a makeshift storage facility for soil from radiation decontamination work.

Futaba Mayor Shiro Izawa explained to the prime minister the town’s postdisaster reconstruction efforts and urged the government to promote work to lift the evacuation order for the whole of the difficult-to-return zone.

Ishiba initially planned to visit Fukushima soon after taking office. But the trip had been postponed as he was busy due to a general election in late October and parliamentary business.

JIJI Press