TOKYO: Red-faced officials issued an embarrassed apology to Japan’s prime minister yesterday after spelling his name wrong during a high-profile tour of the battered Fukushima nuclear plant.
Shinzo Abe was given a specially-printed suit to protect him from radiation during the tour Thursday, on which he was accompanied by a large press pack.
But plant operator TEPCO, which has been lambasted internationally for what critics say is its hapless handling of the catastrophe at Fukushima, used the wrong Chinese character for part of the PM’s name.
The first three of the four characters used to write his name were correct, however the final one represented the same sound but had a different meaning.
“It was a typing error,” said a TEPCO spokesman. “We are very sorry for the mistake. We sincerely apologise to the prime minister for printing an inaccurate name.”
TEPCO has repeatedly come under fire for its approach to managing the aftermath of the disaster at Fukushima, with a government minister describing it as akin to someone playing “whack-a-mole”.
The giant utility was pilloried on Twitter over the gaffe yesterday. Abe’s visit was part of a public relations push the government has launched to prove the battered plant is no danger to Japan or to the rest of the world.
AFP
