Japan says it will increase its reliance on nuclear energy in a major policy shift as it seeks to meet growing demand from power-hungry sectors like AI and semiconductors.An energy plan approved by the cabinet on Tuesday called for "maximising the use of nuclear energy" and dropped reference to "reducing reliance on nuclear energy".

The UN nuclear watchdog chief visited Japan's stricken Fukushima plant after Tokyo approved an energy plan that marks a return to nuclear power.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is monitoring Japan’s efforts to decommission the Fukushima plant after a 2011 earthquake-triggered tsunami killed 18,000 people and set off the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.