Japanese Industry Minister Yoshio Huchiro resigned Saturday after only eight days on the job over. He quit because of a controversial remark that he made regarding the areas near the Fukushina Daiichi nuclear plant, which he referred to as ghost town

Hachiro's sudden resignation is considered a blow to the administration of new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda who just took over on Sept. 2 and named new cabinet members.

"Sad to say, the centres of cities, towns and villages around it are a town of death without a soul in sight," BBC quoted Hachiro saying Thursday.

Hachiro also rubbed his jacket against a reporter after coming back from an inspection trip to the nuclear-radiation affected region and told the newsman, "I will give you radiation," the BBC report.

He eventually apologized for the remarks but was forced out.

Opposition Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Shigeru Ishiba criticized Hachiro over his quip and called on Noda to fire him.

Following Hachiro's sudden resignation, the prime minister named Yukio Edano to replace him. Edano was known as the government spokesman when the magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11.

Japan marked six months since the disaster Sunday.