Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera on Saturday pledged to address in good faith a request for compensation from fishermen whose business was hurt by the fuel dumped by a U.S. fighter jet ahead of an emergency landing near the town of Tohoku in Aomori Prefecture.
"We take very seriously that the fishermen have been forced to halt operations. We will deal sincerely and appropriately with compensation," Onodera said in a meeting with Aomori Gov. Shingo Mimura in Misawa, home to a major U.S. military base.
"We have caused trouble to the people ... of Tohoku and Aomori Prefecture," Onodera added.