Japanese minister to quit over Fukushima comments

A Japanese cabinet minister is set to resign after saying it was better that the northeast of the country was hit by the 2011 earthquake and Fukushima nuclear disaster, and not Tokyo.

Masahiro Imamura leads the reconstruction of the 
affected Tohoku region.

He said "it was rather good" it was hit, as an earthquake
 near Tokyo would have caused huge financial damage.

Public broadcaster NHK aired a video of the remark.

According to the Japan Times , Mr Imamura later withdrew
 his comments and apologised.

"Even in Tohoku, that terrible damage of 25 trillion yen (£175bn; $225bn) was incurred. If it hit places near the 
Tokyo area, it would have been an unimaginable disaster. That's what I meant to say," he clarified.

The minister made the controversial remarks at a party for
lawmakers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was also there, 
has apologised for Mr Imamura's words.

The magnitude 9 earthquake which hit Japan's northeast in 2011 was accompanied by a tsunami, and left more than 18,000 people dead or missing.

It triggered meltdowns at three reactors in the Fukushima power plant - creating the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl. Many businesses in the area are still struggling to recover six years on.

Over 200,000 people were evacuated from a 20km (12 mile) area around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

 Many of them have given up hope of ever returning home.