TOKYO (AP) — The government’s candidate to head Japan’s new nuclear regulatory body vowed Wednesday to impose stricter safety standards on utility companies that run nuclear power plants and brushed off accusations that he has a pro-industry bias.

Shunichi Tanaka is a former executive of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, which promotes development of nuclear energy. Criticism of collusion between regulators and the nuclear industry following last year’s accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant has led to the creation of a more independent regulatory body which is to be launched in September.