Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Banri Kaieda apologized Tuesday over reports that he threatened to "punish" firefighters if they didn't carry out an operation to spray water into the No. 3 reactor building at the Fukushima No. 1 plant.

Kaieda refrained from admitting whether he actually made the threat, but he told a news conference that "if my remarks offended firefighters . . . I would like to apologize on that point."

The move came after Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara lodged a protest Monday with Prime Minister Naoto Kan over the "forcing" of Tokyo Fire Department members dispatched to the nuclear plant to engage in an hours-long water-spraying mission and referring to "punishment" if they refused the task.