Special Report: Fight against Global Warming

    TOKYO, March 21 (Xinhua) -- It is of vital importance to promote the exploitation of nuclear energy as the world is faced with huge challenges of climate change, said Japan's Atomic Energy Commission on Friday.

    The Japanese government should strive to incorporate the promotion of atomic energy as an important pillar in the global framework to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, said the nuclear body in an annual report submitted to the cabinet.

    People around the world are becoming increasingly aware that the nuclear power generation, with no emission of greenhouse gas, could be an effective way to fight global warming, the Commission's 2007 white paper said.

    And Japan is making progress in its recycling scheme to implement the so-called "pluthermal" program with the trial run of consumed nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in operation in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, the paper said.

    There is, however, much left to do to ensure the safety of the nuclear facilities, especially their capability to resist natural disasters, as public anxiety has been aggravated over the severe damage caused by a massive earthquake to a nuclear power plant of Tokyo Electric Power Co., it said.

    And the nuclear power plants also need to overcome the difficulty of finding locations where highly radioactive nuclear waste could be properly processed, the document added.