Japan utility head quits over gifts from town official

TOKYO – The head of a Japanese utility has resigned over a scandal involving 20 of its executives who received cash and gifts totalling $3 million from a former official in a town where it operates a nuclear power plant.

Kansai Electric Power Co. Chairman Makoto Yagi resigned Wednesday, saying he was taking responsibility for causing public distrust.

Company President Shigeki Iwane said he will resign later this year when independent investigators release findings. The two acknowledged they are among the 20 executives who received the cash and gifts from 2011 to 2018 from former deputy mayor of Takahama, home to four Kansai Electric reactors.

The case surfaced in September during a tax inspection. Their admission underscored collusion between officials and Japan’s nuclear industry after the 2011 Fukushima disaster.