of Commons, John Bercow, announced his resignation. In a tearful speech, Bercow, who has served as speaker for 10 years, said he would step down by October 31 at the latest. In his resignation speech, he spoke fondly of his time in the role while giving a stark warning to his fellow MPs:

"We degrade this Parliament at our peril," he told the House of Commons.Shinzo Abe's visit Saturday to the plant comes amid pledges from his ruling Liberal Democratic Party to review the country's plans to phase out nuclear power.

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A massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, swamped parts of the Fukushima plant, disabling backup systems and triggering radiation-spewing meltdowns that forced tens of thousands of people to flee. The disaster triggered massive protests against atomic energy.

The LDP regained power in elections this month and plans to spend 10 years studying the best energy mix for Japan. Abe has said he may reconsider the previous government's decision to stop building reactors.