Chubu Electric Power, a major Japanese utility company, announced on Monday that its top leadership will step down in response to a scandal involving the manipulation of seismic data. President Kingo Hayashi and Chairman Satoru Katsuno are set to be replaced following the discovery that the company provided inaccurate information regarding earthquake safety protocols.

In addition to the leadership shake-up, the company confirmed it is withdrawing its formal applications to restart the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant. The Hamaoka facility has been a focal point of safety concerns due to its location in a region considered highly susceptible to major seismic activity. This development represents a significant setback for the company’s efforts to bring its nuclear operations back online.

The resignations come as Japan continues its broader national effort to revive its nuclear energy sector, 15 years after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi disaster. While the government has pushed for a return to nuclear power to stabilize energy supplies and reduce carbon emissions, this incident highlights the ongoing public and regulatory scrutiny regarding safety standards and corporate transparency within the industry. The company has not yet announced permanent replacements for the outgoing executives, but the move is widely viewed as an attempt to restore public trust after the data-tampering revelations.