The U.N. nuclear agency endorsed an action plan on Thursday to help strengthen global nuclear safety in the wake of Japan's Fukushima accident six months ago, despite criticism from some countries that it does not go far enough.

The International Atomic Energy Agency's 151 member states, at their annual general conference in Vienna, approved by consensus the plan prepared by the office of IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano.

It is "both a rallying point and a blueprint for strengthening nuclear safety worldwide," Amano said.

Environmental group Greenpeace calls it a "dying and dangerous" industry and Europe's biggest engineering conglomerate, Siemens, is exiting the sector altogether.

Japan's Fukushima nuclear accident six months ago sparked doubts about the future of nuclear power across the globe and especially in Europe, highlighted by Germany's decision to quit the energy source and Italy's referendum to ban it for decades.

Countries with atomic power plants would be encouraged to host international safety review missions, under a draft U.N. action plan that may disappoint those who had hoped for strong measures to prevent a repeat of Japan's nuclear crisis.

Seeking the middle ground between states advocating more binding global rules and others wanting to keep safety as a strictly national responsibility, the U.N. nuclear agency appears to have gradually watered down its own proposals.

U.N. Nuclear Report Shows Japan Safety Shortcomings Photo: Tokyo Electric Power Co/Handout
Workers in protective suits are seen at a cesium absorption tower at Tokyo Electric Power Co.