Japan may phase out nuclear power - WKOW 27: Madison, WI Breaking News, Weather and Sports

TOKYO (WKOW) -- The devastating incident involving the Japanese Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, has the country working on alternative ways to generate power. A Japanese Cabinet panel has formally called for phasing out use of nuclear power by the 2030s.

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.