France urges world nuclear review after Japan crisis

TOKYO: French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Thursday called for the creation of new global regulations on nuclear power by the end of 2011 during a first visit by a foreign leader to Japan since the earthquake and tsunami that caused its atomic disaster.

Group of 20 said President Sarkozy of France has decided to organize a meeting of heads of nuclear power in May to set new standards in the wake of the crisis in Japan Fukushima Daiichi plant.

"We must correct this anomaly that there are no international standards of nuclear safety," he said.

The worst global crisis since the 1986 Chernobyl Atomic proved difficult to contain and has forced a rethink on international benefits and safety of nuclear energy.

UN body the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) establishes standards and recommendations, but they are not legally binding and security is primarily the responsibility of Member States.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has supported the French proposal for a global nuclear review. "To avoid the repetition of such an accident, it is our duty to accurately share with the world of our experience," Kan told a joint news conference.

The drama nuclear power plant in Fukushima Daiichi has piled on the agony for Japan after the earthquake and tsunami left nearly 28,000 dead or missing and damage that can $ 300 billion.

First data on the economic impact of the disaster of 11 March showed manufacturing had its largest drop this month as factories closed and the supply chains were disrupted, particularly in the automotive and technology for which Japan is recognized.

France, the country most dependent on nuclear power in the world, took the lead to help Japan.