The Democratic Party on Sunday postponed adopting a bold target of slashing the nation's reliance on nuclear power to zero by 2030, shying away from what would have been a decisive declaration against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's pro-nuclear stance.

At its annual convention, held in Tokyo, Renho, president of the struggling main opposition party, stopped short of upgrading its current goal of pursuing a nuclear-free Japan by the end of the 2030s.

Prior to the convention, media speculation was rife that she would advance the deadline by up to nine years to 2030 in a bid to demonstrate the DP's stronger commitment to eliminating the nation's reliance on nuclear power.