Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visited Fukushima Prefecture on Saturday to inspect facilities, including Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings' disaster-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
The visit is apparently intended to demonstrate his administration's focus on revitalizing the Tohoku region, which includes Fukushima, which was hit hard by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
It is the first time for Ishiba to visit the triple-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 on work to decommission the plant.
In the town of Futaba, Ishiba visited a so-called difficult-to-return zone set up after the nuclear crisis, inspecting 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 entire zone.
Ishiba initially planned to visit Fukushima soon after taking office, but the trip was postponed due to October's general election and parliamentary business.
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