Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Sanae Takaichi has created a stir by saying the 2011 Fukushima meltdowns didn't kill anyone and arguing the government should restart reactors nationwide given Japan's scarce energy resources.
Delivering a speech in Kobe on Monday, Takaichi said the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 plant "has not claimed the lives of any people," and argued the nation should "utilize nuclear power stations after securing the maximum possible safety."
No deaths have been confirmed to be directly related to the massive quantities of radioactive materials spewed from the Fukushima No. 1 plant's wrecked reactors since the March 2011 triple meltdowns.