As one of his first official gestures since taking office last week, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda travelled to Fukushima District on Friday. He first met members of the military who are based not far from the Daiichi nuclear power plant and thanked them for their efforts to bring it under control after it was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in March.

He then went to the nuclear plant itself and met workers. "Everyone in the country and the world is hoping for an end to the accident," he told them, adding they were key to overcoming the crisis.

"I'll work hard, too, in concert with you," the new premier who was wearing protective gear said.

Noda was due to meet some of the evacuees who have been forced to leave their homes since March.

He was also expected to meet Fukushima governor Yuhei Sato to discuss plans to build a temporary storage facility in the prefecture for radioactive waste.

Noda's predecessor Naoto Kan, who resigned last month after his popularity ratings plummeted, visited the plant soon after the disaster in March but then was heavily criticized when it took him three weeks to return to the crisis-stricken zone.

Author: Anne Thomas (dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Manasi Gopalakrishnan