The Japanese government has fired three officials in charge of nuclear power safety over mishandling the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis, BBC reported.
A woman reads an extra of a newspaper about radiation released by the damaged reactors at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Osaka, Japan, March 15, 2011. [File photo] |
Banri Kaieda, Japan's minister of economy, trade and industry, said the government had sacked the director general of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, the head of the country's nuclear regulator and the vice minister of the ministry of economy, trade and industry, the Associated Press reported.
"I'm planning to breathe fresh air into the ministry with a large-scale reshuffle," Kaieda said at a press conference. "We want to refresh and revitalize the ministry."
The nuclear crisis triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami forced 160,000 people to evacuate from the area surrounding the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Massive amount of radiation have been found in air, land and sea in near the plant.
Radioactive material has also contaminated beef, vegetables, dairy products, seafood, water and possibly rice in some areas of Japan.
Japanese government has called for mandatory inspections of domestic rice crops and a ban on beef cattle shipments from the northeast part of the country.