Japan cabinet panel calls for ending nuke power use by 2030s

PanARMENIAN.Net - A Japanese Cabinet panel has formally called for phasing out use of nuclear power by the 2030s as part of an overhaul of the country's energy policies following the Fukushima nuclear disasters, The Associated Press reports.

The proposed new energy policy announced Friday is a major shift from Japan's decades-long advocacy of nuclear power. The entire Cabinet is expected to review it for formal approval later. It calls for greater reliance on renewable energy, more conservation and sustainable use of fossil fuels.

Japan began reviewing its energy policies following last year's disaster at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, which was set off by a massive earthquake and tsunami. Before the accident, resource-poor Japan relied on nuclear power for one-third of its energy and had planned to raise that to 50 percent by 2030.