PM declines pay till N-crisis over

Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan said today he will not accept his wages as premier until the crisis at the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant is over, although he will take his lawmaker's salary.

Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on Tuesday he will not accept his wages as premier until the crisis at the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plant is over, although he will take his lawmaker's salary.

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"Along with the plant operator, Tepco (Tokyo Electric Power Company), the government bears a great responsibility for the nuclear accident as it has pursued a nuclear energy policy," the centre-left leader said.

"As the one in charge of this policy, I wish to offer my apologies to the people," he told a press conference.

"In view of this position, I have decided to give up my annual allowance as prime minister from June, until we can see the prospect of a solution to the nuclear accident."