Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Thursday he planned to set up an independent panel around mid-May to probe into the causes of the accident at the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant.

Kan said "the myth of the safety of nuclear energy" was prevalent among government and utility officials and that Japan needs to "humbly reflect" on such wrong perceptions, according to Kyodo News.

The nuclear crisis at the crippled plant was the world's worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl explosion. It was triggered by the devastating March 11 earthquake and ensuing tsunami.

It is still leaking radioactive substances into environment. And, the Japanese government and the plant's operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. are still battling to bring the facility under control.