Some 70 per cent of the public want Japan to eliminate nuclear power generation in the wake of the nation's worst nuclear accident, a survey said Sunday.
According to the latest Kyodo News opinion survey, 70.3 per cent said they support Prime Minister Naoto Kan's policy of getting rid of nuclear power, DPA reported.
Japan relies on nuclear power generation to supply about 30 per cent of its electric power.
In mid-July, four months after the start of the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Kan said the country should phase out atomic power.
The plant has leaked radioactive substances since it was crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Workers have been struggling to bring it under control.
Meanwhile, the approval rating for Kan's Cabinet fell to a record low of 17.1 per cent down from 23.3 per cent in the previous survey in late June while 66.9 per cent said they want the premier to step down by the end of August, the poll showed.
Kan's government has been harshly criticized for its bungled response to the twin natural disasters and ensuing nuclear crisis.