The chairman of NHK's board of governors says he is stepping down to become an outside director of Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO.

Fumio Sudo was appointed to the public service broadcaster's board in April last year and was later made chair.

TEPCO, operator of the disabled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, announced last week that Sudo would help monitor the company's business performance.

Sudo was initially going to take both roles simultaneously.
But some political parties and civic groups opposed the TEPCO appointment, saying it would compromise NHK's neutrality. The government waived the concerns away.

Sudo told a news conference on Thursday that he decided to resign after taking into consideration the feelings of the public and other NHK governors.

Sudo said that he will work for TEPCO if the company's shareholders' meeting scheduled for late June approves the appointment.

He said he sees the current situation as a national crisis, and that if TEPCO stops operating, the situation could become more serious and destructive.

NHK President Masayuki Matsumoto has issued a statement saying that NHK will continue to abide by the provisions of the Broadcast Law and meet the expectation and trust of its viewers.

May 24, 2012 - Updated 11:53 UTC (20:53 JST)