TOKYO - Japan’s new trade minister apologized yesterday for calling the now-desolate area around the tsunami-hit nuclear power plant “a town of death,’’ a remark seen as insensitive to residents who had to evacuate because of radiation leaks.
Yoshio Hachiro took office just a week ago as a new government replaced leaders seen as unable to move Japan past the triple disasters of six months ago. His comment came as he described his visit a day earlier to inspect damage and cheer workers at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
“Sorry to say, there was not a single soul in areas around the plant,’’ Hachiro told reporters. “Literally it was like a town of death.’’
Although the March 11 earthquake and tsunami left about 21,000 people dead and missing along Japan’s northeast coast, no deaths have been blamed on radiation.
Waiting for Twitter to feed in the latest...