TOKYO (Reuters) - Popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, whose fledgling party is gaining momentum ahead of an Oct. 22 general election, said on Thursday at a news conference that she would look into what steps are needed to reduce Japan s dependence on nuclear energy to zero by 2030. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is calling the snap poll in the hope his Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition can keep its majority in the parliament s lower house, where it now holds two-thirds of the seats. Koike has said she wants Japan to abandon nuclear power - a stance likely to resonate with many voters - but had not previously mentioned a target date. Abe s government plans to retain atomic power as part of the energy mix, despite safety worries after the 2011 Fukushima crisis. 