Economy

Oct 25, 2025 20:34 (JST)

Fukushima, Oct. 25 (Jiji Press)–Japanese industry minister Ryosei Akazawa on Saturday visited Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s disaster-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant for the first time since he took office Tuesday.

“Important progress is being made” in the work to remove melted fuel debris from a damaged reactor at the plant in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, Akazawa said at a meeting with TEPCO officials.

“We aim to work together with a high sense of mission to promote the long-running work to decommission (the crippled plant) and coexistence with local communities,” he also said.

“We’ll work hard on both reconstruction and decommissioning, and do our best to fulfill our responsibility to Fukushima,” TEPCO Chairman Yoshimitsu Kobayashi said. The Fukushima No. 1 plant was severely damaged in the March 2011 powerful earthquake and tsunami.

After the visit, Akazawa met with Fukushima Governor Masao Uchibori at the Fukushima prefectural government office.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

Jiji Press

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