Industry minister Takeo Hiranuma said Tuesday he will visit Niigata Prefecture to apologize to residents there for the ministry's lax handling of Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s attempts to cover up defects at its nuclear reactors there.
His visit on Friday, the first since the scandal broke in August, is seen as an attempt to prepare for the early restart of the reactors before power demand rises this summer.
"I want to offer my apology as the head of the government office in charge of energy policy, for the trouble local people have gone through," Hiranuma, minister for economy, trade and industry, told a news conference.