A panel at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry decided Monday to propose creating a new body to strengthen the government's involvement in nuclear fuel reprocessing operations.

The panel, a fuel-recycling study group, suggested that the new entity should consign reprocessing operations at a facility in northern Japan to the current plant operator, Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd., which is designed to play a key role in Japan's fuel recycling policy.

The government will finalize the plan after hearing public comments and seek to submit a bill to revise related laws to the Diet next year.