TOKYO - A panel investigating Japan’s nuclear disaster said Saturday that the former prime minister and his aides caused confusion at the height of last year’s crisis by heavily interfering in the damaged and leaking plant’s operation.

Shuya Nomura, a member of the parliamentary panel, said that Naoto Kan’s aides made numerous calls to the Fukushima Daiichi plant, often asking basic questions and distracting workers, thus causing more confusion.