Japan's new government to review zero-nuclear policy

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's new leaders start to work on dismantling plans to rid the country of nuclear power by 2040, pledging to review a post-Fukushima policy.

The pro-business Liberal Democratic Party-led government also said on Thursday that they would give the green light to any reactors deemed safe by regulators, indicating shuttered power stations could start coming back online.

"We need to reconsider the previous administration's policy that aimed to make zero nuclear power operation possible during the 2030s," newly appointed Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Mr Toshimitsu Motegi, told a news conference.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won a landslide victory in the Dec 16 election, returning to power after a three-year break.