Environment Minister Nobuteru Ishihara apologized Tuesday for suggesting that money would ultimately decide whether local authorities accept the central government's proposal to build storage facilities for soil contaminated by the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear disaster.
Ishihara, appearing at a news conference after drawing criticism from some of his fellow Cabinet ministers, acknowledged that his remarks may have upset people in Fukushima Prefecture.
Ishihara said he had wanted to say it is important to point out the amount of compensation that will be paid to local governments for the storage sites.