Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has instructed Environment Minister Hiroyuku Nagahama to speed up the decontamination of the area affected by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.

Noda visited the Fukushima Daiichi plant on Sunday. This was his second visit since he assumed office.

Noda spoke to approximately 200 workers at the plant. He said there will be no revival for Japan without a revival of Fukushima prefecture. He said he wants everyone to work harder to achieve the goal of decommissioning the reactors.

Noda wore protective gear when he entered the building housing the number 4 reactor, which caused a hydrogen explosion in March last year.

He went up to the roof and heard from officials of the Tokyo Electric Power Company about the preparations being made to remove spent nuclear fuel.

Noda visited the control room for the number 1 and number 2 reactor buildings to learn about the situation at the time of the nuclear disaster. The lights were turned off and flashlights were used to recreate the tense atmosphere of that time.

Prime Minister Noda also visited Naraha Town to inspect the decontamination work at an elementary school and the temporary storage sites where contaminated soil is being kept.

Noda told reporters he was able to see the progress being made, but added that there is still a long way to go. He said the work must be carried out with a sense of tension until the very end.

Noda said decontamination is the basic requirement for Fukushima's recovery and revival, and it needs to be expedited.

He said he instructed Nagahama to quickly draw up new measures that include delegating his ministry's authority to its Fukushima branch to speed up the decontamination work. He added that local residents should be kept informed about the progress.