TOKYO, Japan: The president of Chubu Electric Power Co., Japan's third-largest power utility, said on September 14 that he and the company's chairperson will resign over the long-running manipulation of earthquake safety data for two nuclear reactors.

The company will also withdraw its applications to restart the reactors.

Japan has been slowly restarting some of the 54 nuclear reactors that were shut down after the 2011 Fukushima disaster. A magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off Japan's northeastern coast that year, followed by a huge tsunami. The disaster caused meltdowns at three reactors operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, or TEPCO.

The latest announcement by Chubu Electric comes as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government is pushing to restart more nuclear reactors. The government is facing higher energy costs and pressure to cut carbon emissions.

Chubu Electric President Kingo Hayashi said an independent investigation found that the company had manipulated seismic data for its Hamaoka No. 3 and No. 4 reactors for years. The changes were made so the data would meet required safety standards.

The findings have raised serious doubts about the reliability of the safety information. As a result, the company decided to withdraw its pending applications to restart the two reactors.

"We had serious problems with our corporate culture and governance," Hayashi said, adding that rebuilding public trust was the company's main priority.

Hayashi and chairperson Satoru Katsuno were not directly involved in changing the data. However, the investigation found that senior management had made an early restart of the reactors an important business goal. A team responsible for obtaining permission to restart the reactors was also strongly criticized for taking too long to complete the safety review. The report said this pressure may have contributed to the wrongdoing.

Hayashi and Katsuno will formally leave their positions on September 30. Minoru Yasui, currently a company director, will become president on October 1.

Chubu Electric applied for safety reviews to restart the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear plant in 2014 and 2015. The Nuclear Regulation Authority suspended the reviews in December after months of internal investigation that began following a whistleblower's complaint.

Two other reactors at the Hamaoka plant are being decommissioned, while a fifth reactor remains shut.

The plant is about 200 kilometers (125 miles) west of Tokyo, in a coastal region at risk from powerful Nankai Trough earthquakes.

Hayashi said nuclear power remained an important source of energy. He said the company would seek permission to restart the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors again after taking preventive steps, restructuring the organization and making a fresh start.

Public opinion in Japan remains divided over nuclear power because of safety concerns following the Fukushima meltdowns. However, support for nuclear energy has gradually increased as households face higher fuel and energy costs linked to the conflict in the Middle East.

According to the Nuclear Regulation Authority, 11 of Japan's 54 commercial nuclear reactors are currently operating. Twenty are offline, while more than 20 others are being decommissioned.