Yoshio Hachiro and Yoshihiko Noda

A little over a week after assuming office, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's newly installed Minister of Trade and Industry, Yoshio Hachiro, called the Fukushima prefecture "a town of death" and, according to the New York Times, jokingly rubbed his sleeve against a reporter, saying, "Look out, radiation!" With recovery efforts still under way and persistent fears about the spread of radiation widespread at the time, the actions were seen as highly inconsiderate. Hachiro promptly stepped down, while Noda apologized for the "inappropriate remark."

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